Obama signs agreement with Afghanistan

by Mindy Aguon

Guam - A year after U.S. Navy SEALs killed Osama Bin Laden, President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan. While there Obama met with President Hamid Karzai to sign a ten-year strategic agreement for the U.S. to support Afghanistan, even after American combat troops leave the country in 2014.

Obama addressed the nation today committing to pulling 23,000 troops out of the country by the end of the summer and completely turning security over to the afghan government in 2014. "The Afghan people and the world should know that Afghanistan has a friend and a partner in the United States," Obama said.

The president also visited troops deployed in Afghanistan thanking them for their service and saying they are the reason why Americans are safe today. He shared, "There is light on the horizon because of the sacrifices you made."

Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo today issued the following statement on President Obama's recent trip to Afghanistan, where he signed the U.S.-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement and announced that 23,000 more U.S. troops would draw down from Afghanistan by the end of the summer.

"The signing of the Strategic Partnership Agreement today builds a foundation of support for the Afghan people to take charge of their country and security," said Congresswoman Bordallo. "This historic announcement occurs on the anniversary of Osama Bin Laden's death.  Our operations in Afghanistan began as a result of Al Qaeda's attack on September 11, 2001 and today we begin to close the chapter on this dark period of our history.  The President reiterated that combat missions in Afghanistan will end in 2014 but this agreement reaffirms our country's commitment to supporting Afghanistan's security, economic development, and regional cooperation in the coming years to ensure the efforts of our country are not lost in vain.

"During my recent trip to Afghanistan, I had the opportunity to meet with officials from the International Security Assistance Force who are working to prepare the Afghans for this transition, and I believe that we are moving in the right direction.  I commend President Obama for working to secure this agreement. It is important that we continue to work with the Afghans to support a sustainable long-term Afghan force and promote stability in the region for the future security of our country and the region. During my recent trip to Afghanistan, I also met with men and women from Guam serving in harm's way. As we end combat operations in Afghanistan, we owe a debt of gratitude to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom, and we pray for safe return of our servicemembers from Guam."