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Obama Makes Surprise Trip to Afghanistan

   VOA News 03 December 2010
   President  Barack Obama walks across the tarmac after being greeted by
   NATO   Commander  in  Afghanistan  Gen.  David  Petraeus  (l)  and  US
   Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Elkenberry (r), after stepping off

Photo: AP

   President  Barack Obama walks across the tarmac after being greeted by
   NATO   Commander  in  Afghanistan  Gen.  David  Petraeus  (l)  and  US
   Ambassador  to  Afghanistan Karl W. Elkenberry (r), after stepping off
   Air  Force  One  during  an  unannounced  visit  to Bagram Air Base in
   Afghanistan, 03 Dec 2010

   U.S.  President Barack Obama is making a surprise trip to Afghanistan,
   but  bad  weather will prevent him from meeting personally with Afghan
   President Hamid Karzai.
   Press  Secretary  Robert Gibbs said on Twitter that high winds and low
   clouds  have  prevented  the president from taking a helicopter to the
   presidential   palace   in  Kabul.  He  is  instead  holding  a  phone
   conversation  with  the Afghan president from Bagram Air Base, outside
   the capital.
   Mr.  Obama landed unannounced in the country late Friday. He will make
   a  speech  at  the Bagram base to personally thank American troops for
   their service during the American holiday season.
   He will also meet with top U.S. advisors in the region.
   The President will spend several hours in the country.
   This  is Mr. Obama's second trip to Afghanistan as president and comes
   as  the  White House plans to release a review of the administration's
   war  strategy announced last year when Mr. Obama ordered an additional
   30,000 troops to Afghanistan.

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