US Adventurism at its best

[mustaqeem]

Obama makes 'surprise' visit to Kabul




Barack Obama, the US president, has made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan.


Obama, who arrived at Bagram airbase on Sunday, is to meet Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, and his cabinet at the presidential palace in Kabul.


Obama was greeted on his arrival by General Stanley McChrystal, the US commander on the ground in Afghanistan, and Karl Eikenberry, the US ambassador.


White House officials said that Obama had made the trip to have an "important meeting with Karzai and his cabinet".


The president also wanted to "see the troops and get a first hand update from McChrystal", the official was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying.


It is Obama's second stop in a war zone as commander-in-chief, coming about a year after a similarly secretive trip to Iraq.

[rabeea]

Nothing surprising about that. US presidents have been using this gimmick to bolster flagging popularity for decades.

[nishaat]

It is more a publicity stunt than anything else.