WASHINGTON - Amidst a lingering dispute over the auditing of votes, US President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the leaders of Afghanistan needed to make hard compromise for the sake of their country's future and security.

Though Obama did not name anyone during his public speech in North Carolina, yet his remarks were directly aimed at the two presidential candidates – Dr Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai.

“As Afghans continue to work towards the first democratic transfer of power in their history, their leaders need to make the hard compromises that are necessary to give the people a future of security and progress,” Obama observed.

He added: "As we go forward, we'll continue to partner with Afghans so their country can never again be used to launch attacks against the United States.”.

Obama justified his decision to pull out troops, insisting it was the right thing to do.  Subsequently, he said, his administration had refocused efforts in Afghanistan and went after al Qaeda's leadership in the tribal regions in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“In just four months, we will complete our combat mission in Afghanistan and America's longest war will come to a responsible end. And we honor every American who served to make this progress possible...” he concluded.  (Pajhwok)