Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Obama Lauds New Era in US-Afghan Relationship

Obama Lauds New Era in US-Afghan Relationship

Obama Lauds New Era in US-Afghan Relationship

BAGRAM – U.S. President Barack Obama, speaking to a US television audience from Bagram Air Base, said he had travelled to Afghanistan to herald a new era in the relationship between the US and Afghanistan, ''a future in which war ends, and a new chapter begins''.
Mr. Obama's address, during an unannounced visit to sign a strategic partnership agreement with President Hamid Karzai that sets the terms for relations after the departure of US troops in 2014, was a chance for him to make an election-year case that he is winding down a costly and increasingly unpopular war.
''My fellow Americans,'' he said, speaking against a backdrop of armored military vehicles and a US flag, ''we've travelled through more than a decade under the dark cloud of war. Yet here, in the pre-dawn darkness of Afghanistan, we can see the light of new day on the horizon.''

His speech came as an already difficult relationship with Mr. Karzai has been strained by recent events, including the release of photos showing US soldiers posing with the remains of Taliban insurgents and a US staff sergeant who has been charged in the killing of 16 Afghan civilians.

Mr. Obama sought to portray the withdrawal as an unalloyed achievement, although it remains far from certain that the Afghan government can hold its own against the Taliban with reduced US support, or that what were once considered critical US goals in the country can still be met.

Mr. Obama's six-hour visit, ending a year to the day after Osama bin Laden was killed in a raid in Pakistan, was laden with symbolism, historic and political. Speaking from the country where the September 11 terrorist attacks were incubated, Mr Obama suggested America had come full circle.

''One year ago, from a base here in Afghanistan, our troops launched the operation that killed Osama bin Laden,'' he said. ''The goal I set - to defeat al-Qaeda, and deny it a chance to rebuild - is now within our reach.''
Asserting that the US had largely achieved its military goals, Mr. Obama said Afghans were ready to take responsibility for their own security, a transition that will start in earnest next year when US and NATO troops step back from a combat role to training and counter-terrorism operations. (Agencies)