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KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii President BarackObamamarked the end of more than a decade of combat in Afghanistan by paying tribute to America's military, tellingtroopson Christmas Day that their sacrifices have allowed for a more peaceful, prosperous world to emerge out of the ashes of 9/11.

At an oceanfront Marine Corps base in Hawaii,Obamatold troopsthat while tough challenges remain for the US military in hotspots like Iraq and West Africa, the world as a whole is better off because Americantroopsput country first and served with distinction. He said Americans and their president could not be more thankful.

"Because of the extraordinary service of the men and women in the American armed forces, Afghanistan has a chance to rebuild its own country,"Obamasaid to applause from Marines and their families. "We are safer. It's not going to be a source of terrorist attacks again."

Thirteen years and $1 trillion later, the US is preparing to pull the vast majority of its combattroopsout of Afghanistan by year's end, as the US and its partners seek to turn the page on a bloody chapter that started the day that al-Qaida militants struck American soil on Sept. 11, 2011. From a peak 140,000 troopsin 2010, the US and NATO plan to leave just 13,500 behind for training and battlefield support.

Although there are reasons for cautious optimism, including a new Afghan president whose seriousness of effort has inspired US confidence, the broader picture still looks grim.

The US is shifting to a supporting role after the bloodiest year in Afghanistan since the 2001 US-led invasion. Civilian casualties this year are on track to hit 10,000, and some 5,000 Afghan forces were also killed in 2014, a figure that has escalated as the country took on a greater role in its own security. Insurgents have seized territory across the country, raising fears that Islamic militants will successfully exploit the security vacuum formed as the US pulls out.

Roughly 2,200 UStroopswere killed in Afghanistan over the last 13 years in a war that cost the S $1 trillion, plus another $100 billion for reconstruction. A celebratory cheer of "hooah" rang out from the hundreds oftroopshere whenObama affirmed that the combat mission was finally ending.

"We still have some very difficult missions around the world including in Iraq,"Obamasaid. But, he added, "the world is better, it's safer, it's more peaceful, it's more prosperous and our homeland protected because of you."

On the US mainland and across the globe, other prominent leaders were fanning out, echoing the president's message with their own Christmas visits and phone calls to Americantroops.

Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, to spend time with woundedtroopsand their families and express gratitude for their service. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called military members on deployment, the Pentagon said, including those in Afghanistan and others assigned to US Central Command, which is running the U.S. mission to fight the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

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Obama tells troops 'the world is better ... because of you'

WASHINGTON President Obama says the United States is less racially divided despite the tensions raging from deadly police shootings and emotional protests.

Compared to six years ago when he made history as the first black president, Obama says American race relations are on the upswing.

I actually think that its probably in its day-to-day interactions less racially divided, Obama told National Public Radio.

Americans, however, seem to disagree.

A Bloomberg Politics survey out this month found a majority of Americans 53 percent feel interactions between white and black communities have deteriorated since Obama took office.

The choke-hold death of Eric Garner on Staten Island and fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. sparked nationwide outrage when the white officers in both cases were not criminally charged. Obama has sought to channel the frustration into a national campaign for better police relations.

Americans have been divided by race over the outcome. The majority of white Americans agreed with the decision not to charge Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson in Browns death, while nearly all blacks disagreed.

A slight majority of whites, however, disagreed with a grand jurys decision not to charge Office Daniel Pantaleo in New York, according to Bloombergs survey.

Obama also expressed optimism the New Year will usher in cooperation in Congress under GOP control. Now youve got Republicans in a position where its not enough for them simply to grind the wheels of Congress to a halt and then blame me.

Read more:
Obama says US less racially divided

Published December 25, 2014

Dec. 25, 2014: President Barack Obama, with first lady Michelle Obama, points toward a child in the audience as he greets troops and their families on Christmas Day.(AP)

President Obama paid tribute to the military saying the sacrifices of the American troops have allowed for a more peaceful, prosperous world to come out of the ashes of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Obama marked the end of Afghan combat at a Marine Corps base in Hawaii Christmas Day. Obama still remarked about the challenges American troops face in hotspots such as Iraq and West Africa.

"Because of the extraordinary service of the men and women in the American armed forces, Afghanistan has a chance to rebuild its own country," Obama said to applause from Marines and their families. "We are safer. It's not going to be a source of terrorist attacks again."

The US is preparing to pull most of its combat troops out of Afghanistan by years end after invading the country to strike against Al Qaeda as retribution for the horror of Sept. 11. The U.S. and NATO plan to leave 13,500 troops in Afghanistan for training and battlefield support.

The U.S. is shifting to a supporting role after the bloodiest year in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. Civilian casualties this year are on track to hit 10,000, and some 5,000 Afghan forces were also killed in 2014, a figure that has escalated as the country took on a greater role in its own security. Insurgents have seized territory across the country, raising fears that Islamic militants will successfully exploit the security vacuum formed as the U.S. pulls out.

Roughly 2,200 U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan over the last 13 years in a war that cost the U.S. $1 trillion, plus another $100 billion for reconstruction. A celebratory cheer of "hooah" rang out from the hundreds of troops here when Obama affirmed that the combat mission was finally ending.

"We still have some very difficult missions around the world including in Iraq," Obama said. But, he added, "the world is better, it's safer, it's more peaceful, it's more prosperous and our homeland protected because of you."

Obamas visit to the Marines came in the middle of his holiday trip in Hawaii after a tumultuous year in Washington.

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Obama touts end of combat mission in Afghanistan

By Brian Hughes

Washington Examiner

President Obama pledged that Afghanistan will no longer be a source of terrorist attacks again, a week before the U.S. is set to end its combat mission in the Middle Eastern nation.

Weve been in continuous war now for over 13 years. Next week we will be ending our combat mission in Afghanistan, Obama told troops in Hawaii late Thursday, celebrating Christmas.

Because of the extraordinary service of the men and women in the armed forces, Afghanistan has a chance to rebuild its own country, he said. "We are safer. Its not going to be a source of terrorist attacks again.

Though the American combat mission in Afghanistan is nearly completed, at least some troops are scheduled to stay in the nation until the end of 2016.

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Obama: Afghanistan won't be source of terrorist attacks again

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