Roadside Bomb Strikes Afghan Gov's Convoy

On surprise trip, president says goal of defeating al-Qaeda in reach

(NEWSER) - President Obama wrapped up his surprise trip to Afghanistan —during which he signed an accord with Hamid Karzai on how the US will wind down its presence after 2014—with an address to Americans. He declared that the US has "a clear path to fulfill our mission in Afghanistan," but vowed to end war "responsibly," reports CNN and the New York Times . Some excerpts:

• "My fellow Americans, we have traveled through more than a decade under the dark cloud of war. Yet here, in the predawn darkness of Afghanistan, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon."
• “The goal that I set, to defeat al-Qaeda and deny it the chance to rebuild, is now within our reach."

Taliban, meanwhile, threatens to behead US soldiers

(NEWSER) - Militants opened fire on a prayer service for the 16 people killed in a US soldier's shooting rampage this weekend, targeting a visiting government delegation that included two of Hamid Karzai's brothers, along with senior defense, intelligence, and interior ministry officials. The militants fired from a distance, killing at least one government soldier and wounding two other people in what turned into a 10-minute firefight, al-Jazeera reports. "Bullets were coming like rain on us," one witness was quoted as saying. More»

Politics comes second to protecting troops, he says

(NEWSER) - Saying sorry to Afghan President Hamid Karzai for the accidental burning of Korans by US troops helped calm tensions, President Obama says. "We're not out of the woods yet," he told ABC . "But my criteria in any decision I make, getting recommendations from folks who are actually on the ground, is what is going to best protect our folks, and make sure that they can accomplish their mission." More»

Troop withdrawal could lead to instability, some fear

(NEWSER) - Political leaders in Afghanistan are concerned that President Obama's decision to start withdrawing US forces could lead to a repeat of the US withdrawal in 1989, when Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence was allowed to gain major influence. "We don't want to go back 20 years when [ISI was] making the decisions about Afghanistan," one mayor tells the Wall Street Journal . Adding to the concern is the fact that billions of dollars in aid cuts will likely accompany the withdrawal, Reuters reports. For his part, Afghan President Hamid Karzai appeared supportive of Obama's speech. More»

Kandahar roadside bomb deadliest since 2009

(AP) - Nine NATO service members were killed Thursday in Afghanistan, including seven US troops and another NATO service member killed when a powerful bomb exploded in a field where they were patrolling on foot, officials said. Two Afghan policemen also died and two others were wounded in the explosion in the mountainous Shorabak district of Kandahar province, 12 miles from Pakistan, said the chief of the Afghan border police in the province. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast. More»