General

Obama spells out the end of the Afghan war and Taliban responds with deadly suicide bomb

In a pop-up visit to Kabul marking the first anniversary of Osama Bin Laden’s death, President Barack Obama spelled out the end of the war in Afghanistan yesterday.

After signing a security co-operation pact with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Obama confirmed no NATO combat troops would remain in the country by the end of 2014, and declared: “I will not keep Americans in harm’s way a single day longer than is absolutely required for our national security. But we must finish the job we started in Afghanistan, and end this war responsibly.”

The President sounded optimistic, even saying that the end of al Qaeda is “within reach,” according to CNN.

But today, just a few hours after Obama left Kabul, suicide bombers killed seven people in a compound housing Westerners, underlining just how unstable the situation in Afghanistan remains.

From Reuters:

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack which involved a car bomb and insurgents disguised as women on the eastern outskirts of the capital, killing seven people, a Gurkha guard and six passers-by, and wounding 17.

The Taliban said it was in response to Obama’s visit and to the strategic partnership deal he signed with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

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