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Saturday, Dec 04, 2010
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Obama on surprise visit to Afghanistan

Narayan Lakshman

Barack Obama

WASHINGTON: United States President Barack Obama has landed in Afghanistan, the White House announced on Friday.

The trip, which was not announced prior to this date possibly owing to security concerns, will include meetings with U.S. troops in which the President will extend his thanks for their efforts in the country.

While Mr. Obama will stay at the Bagram Air Base, Afghan President Hamid Karzai will remain in Kabul “due to bad weather.” However, he and Mr. Obama will hold a secure video teleconference, the White House confirmed

Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Benjamin Rhodes said planning for the trip began a month ago and the principal reason for going was to spend time with the U.S. troops during the holiday season, to thank them and to wish them happy holidays.

On the question of whether the WikiLeaks revelations had resulted in even more “headaches” for Mr. Obama on this visit, Mr. Rhodes said there had been public discussions of challenges in Afghanistan before, and this is not new.

The Obama administration had “weathered those kinds of revelations before as it relates to President Karzai and the Afghan government,” he was reported to have said, adding, “We are all aware there are serious challenges in Afghanistan.”

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