Obama Vows Long-Term Commitment In Afghanistan Visit

KABUL: (MEP) – US President Barack Obama in a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Sunday evening said Washington is committed to partner with Afghanistan for years to come.

Addressing hundreds of US troops at Bagram airfield, north of Kabul, President Obama said the next Afghan leader would sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) which will pave the ground for a small number of US troops to remain in Afghanistan after 2014.

President Obama said US troops would pursue two missions after 2014: train and equip Afghan forces and fight with terrorism.

Before his address to the troops on the eve of the Memorial Day, President Obama met with US Ambassador in Afghanistan James Cunningham and top US commander General Joseph Dunford to assess the situation on the ground.

Mr. Obama is not meeting with President Hamid Karzai and will depart Bagram within a few hours for Washington.

President Karzai’s office has said in a statement that President Obama wanted to meet his Afghan counterpart in Bagram airfield, a request Mr Karzai rejected.