" Barack Obama has told US forces on his first visit to Afghanistan"..

[Cha]

.. as US president that they are there to help Afghans to forge a "hard-won peace"."

<snip>

"Addressing soldiers and civilians at Bagram air base near Kabul, he thanked them for their service and said they would prevail against their enemies.

They were there, he said, to "keep America safe and secure".

On a trip lasting just a few hours, he met Afghan President Hamid Karzai and stressed the need to tackle corruption.

Mr Obama said he wanted to see progress continue on Afghan efforts to fight against drug-trafficking.

Mr Karzai will visit the US in May for talks, it was announced."

<snip>


"Operations in Pakistan"

"Mr Obama also talked of operations across the border in Pakistan, where he said the Pakistani government had pushed "violent extremists out of their sanctuaries".

"We have struck blows against al-Qaeda's leadership as well as the Taliban's," he said.

"They are hunkered down. They are worried about their own safety. It's harder for them to move and to train and to plot and to attack.

"All of that makes America safer and we are going to keep them on the run."

In the 14 months since he took office, Mr Obama has almost doubled American forces in Afghanistan.

US troops are now leading a massive military operation to push Taliban militants from their stronghold in the south of the country."

<more at link including video of the president>
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8591866.stm

This is the reality of our President's surprise visit to the Troops in Afghanistan. The video speaks for itself.

[goclark]

1. Thank you for posting nt