美国总统奥巴马在基地组织领导人本拉登被击毙一周年之际对阿富汗进行短暂访问，其间与喀布尔签署了一项战略伙伴协议， 并在选举年向美国选民传达了一个信息，即阿富汗战争行将结束。奥巴马星期二晚从巴格拉姆空军基地发表电视讲话时重申了在阿富汗的移交行动，即美国将在 2014年前完成作战部队的撤军，由阿富汗方面完全接管阿富汗的安全防卫。奥巴马说，美国将继续支持阿富汗的反恐和培训行动，但“不会在阿富汗修建永久性基地”。几个小时前，奥巴马和阿富汗总统卡尔扎伊签署战略合作协议。该协议描述了2014年以后，美国在阿富汗扮演的角色。
奥巴马总统星期二在讲话中明确表示，“我们的目的不是按照美国的设想建立一个国家，也不是铲除塔利班的一切残余，”这样的目标将“耗费很多年、很多美元、以及很多美国人的生命。”奥巴马说，美国的目的是摧毁基地组织。美国与阿富汗的战略协议没有规定美国继续在阿富汗驻军，但保证美国在从阿富汗全部撤军后至少十年内为阿富汗提供援助。目前大约有9万名美军在阿富汗服役。到今年9月，大约3万3千美军将撤离阿富汗。
U.S. President Barack Obama has marked the one year anniversary of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden's death with a quick trip to Afghanistan, signing a strategic pact with Kabul and delivering an election-year message to the American people that the Afghan war is winding down. In televised remarks broadcast to Americans late Tuesday from Bagram Airbase, Mr. Obama reaffirmed the transition in Afghanistan -- with U.S. combat troops completing their withdrawal and Afghans taking full security control of their country by 2014. The president said the United States will continue to support counterterrorism and training efforts in Afghanistan, but "will not build permanent bases" in the country. Hours earlier, Mr. Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed a strategic partnership agreement outlining the U.S. role in Afghanistan beyond 2014.
In his speech Tuesday, President Obama made clear, "our goal is not to build a country in America's image, or to eradicate every vestige of the Taliban," objectives that would "require many more years, many more dollars and many more American lives." The U.S. leader said the goal is to destroy al-Qaida. The U.S.-Afghan strategic agreement does not commit the United States to any specific troop presence but pledges American aid for Afghanistan for at least a decade after the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops. Around 90,000 U.S. troops currently serve in Afghanistan. Some 33,000 American forces will have pulled out of Afghanistan by September of this year.
