President Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Sunday as his administration plans to end the nation's longest war at the end of this year, and faces intense criticism over the medical treatment of American veterans SIA reports.
"I'm here on a single mission, and that is to thank you for your extraordinary service" Obama told a rally of some of the 32,800 American servicemembers serving in Afghanistan, many of them making their last tour of duty.
Obama also announced that he will decide soon on possible troop levels for a post-2014 residual force to be left in Afghanistan to keep training local security forces and conduct counterterrorism missions.
In discussing this "limited military presence," Obama told U.S. troops at Bagram Air Field that, "after all the sacrifices we've made, we want to preserve the gains that you have helped to win."
The residual force — perhaps up to 10,000 troops — may be a topic when Obama delivers a foreign policy speech Wednesday during a commencement address at West Point.
Obama said, "I want everybody to know, in this country and across the region: America's commitment to the people of Afghanistan will endure."
After making a secret overnight flight from Washington, D.C., Obama also told the troops that the United States is at "a pivotal moment," and that Afghan forces will complete their takeover of security responsibilities by the end of this year.
Obama spent a little less than four hours on the ground in Afghanistan.
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