President Obama declared Sunday that the Afghan war "as we understood it is over" and that the country was on track to achieve a "transformational decade" of peace.
"The Strategic Partnership Agreement, this NATO summit, are all part and parcel of a shared vision that we have in which Afghanistan is able to transition from decades of war to a transformational decade of peace and stability and development," said Obama after a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Chicago, where the leaders are attending the NATO summit.
It was Obama's first meeting with Karzai since the two formally signed an agreement establishing a long-term U.S. presence in the country after the formal withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2014, and the president used the opportunity to tout his efforts to end the nation’s longest war.
“The NATO Summit is going to be largely devoted to ratifying and reflecting the broad consensus that so many of our partners and [International Security Assistance Force] members have agreed to," Obama said. "One in which we are working with the Afghans over the next several years to achieve a complete transition to Afghan lead for Afghan security.
The president pledged that the United States would continue to provide support for Afghan forces, whom he said had made “excellent progress over the last several years.”
“The Afghan war as we understand it is over, but our commitment to friendship and partnership with Afghanistan continues," Obama said.
For more on Obama's remarks, click here.
