|
Kabul, Afghanistan, March 28, 2010 – U.S. President
Barack Obama is in Afghanistan on an unannounced visit that is expected
to last several hours.
Mr. Obama landed at the Bagram military base north of Kabul Sunday and
was flown by helicopter to the presidential palace for meetings with
Afghan Preisent Hamid Karzai and other top officials. He also planned to
meet U.S. military officers and troops for a briefing on the offensive
against Taliban strongholds in southern Afghanistan.
U.S. National Security Advisor James Jones told reporters that Mr. Obama
is meeting with President Karzai to impress on him the need to "battle
the things that have not been paid attention to almost since day one."
General Jones did not elaborate, but U.S. officials have pushed for
stronger Afghan government efforts against corruption and drugs, and to
build credible government services.
During Mr. Obama's first year in office, his administration has shifted
attention from the war in Iraq, where the United States is reducing its
presence, to Afghanistan, where Mr. Obama sent some 30,000 additional
troops.
In the past year tensions have risen between the Obama and Karzai
administrations after the Afghan leader won a controversial re-election
that was marred by widespread fraud.
Mr. Obama is expected to leave Afghanistan before sunrise Monday and be
back in Washington by Monday morning.
This is his first trip as commander in chief to Afghanistan. He made a
similar unannounced trip to Iraq last year.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
Source: VOANews
|
|
