Obama Makes Unannounced Memorial Day Trip to Afghanistan
President Obama arrived in Afghanistan on Sunday for an unannounced visit, in which he commended U.S. troops for the sacrifices they have made and said he was hopeful that a bilateral agreement signed by the end of the year would allow for limited troops in the country.
Of all the honors that I have as serving as president, nothing matches serving as your commander-in-chief, Obama told troops in Bagram.
Obama thanked the soldiers for progress in Afghanistan, including the recent Afghan election, more local girls in school and Afghans reclaiming their communities.
Al Qaeda is on its heels in this part of the world and thats because of you, Obama said.
It has come to our attention that the browser you are using is either not running javascript or out of date. Please enable javascript and/or update your browser if possible.
The surprise trip came as the U.S. and NATO are withdrawing most of their forces ahead of a year-end deadline. Obama is seeking to keep a small number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014 to train Afghan security forces and conduct counterterrorism missions.
But that plan is contingent on with Afghan President Hamid Karzais successor signing a bilateral security agreement, which Karzai himself has refused to authorize.
For many of you, this will be your last tour in Afghanistan, Obama told the troops, crediting them with the lead Afghan forces have taken to secure the country.
Obama said he hopes a bilateral security agreement would be signed by years end, and at that point, Americas war in Afghanistan will come to a responsible end.
Beyond 2014, Obama said there would be a limited military presence in Afghanistan in order to make sure that Afghanistan can never again ever be used to launch an attack against our country and insure Afghanistan doesnt regress.
See the original post here:
Obama Makes Unannounced Memorial Day Trip to Afghanistan