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| President Obama meets with troops |
Obama’s Trip to Afghanistan
By: Kristina Mokalla
Almost midnight I arrived from Air Force One. All of us landed in Afghanistan at 10:20 at the base. We were planning to arrive at late night and leave before dawn.
Me and Hamid Zarzai, Afghanistan’s President, signed the Strategic Partnership Agreement in Kabul. This is a document that’s supposed to build the U.S. and Afghanistan relationship for ten years to come.
“Neither Americans nor the Afghan people asked for this war, yet for a decade we’ve stood together. Today, with the signing of the Strategic Partnership Agreement, we look forward to a future of peace. Today, we’re agreeing to be long-term partners,” I was saying.
General John Allen talked to almost 3,000 service members. I spoke to the troops after. I thanked them for their service and told them the entire nation is behind them.
I said, “I know it’s still tough. I know the battle’s not yet over. Some of your buddies are going to get injured and some of your buddies may get killed and there’s going to be heartbreak and pain and difficulty ahead. But there’s a light on the horizon because of the sacrifices you’ve made.”
“We did not choose this war. This war came to us on 9/11. And there are a whole bunch of folks who signed up after 9/11. We don’t go looking for a fight. But when we see our homeland violated, when we see our fellow citizens killed, then we understand what we have to do.”
“Slowly and systematically, we have been able to decimate the ranks of al Qaeda. And a year ago, we were able to finally bring Osama bin Laden to justice.”
I spent 45 minutes shaking hands and taking photos with brave troops.
I addressed the nation from Afghanistan and about ten minutes later we left before dawn.
Word Count: 313 words
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