President Obama made a super-secret, double-hush-hush visit to Afghanistan today, on the one-year anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death, and signed a strategic partnership with President Harmid Karzai about the U.S.'s role in the country after troops withdraw in 2014. Obama said,
"Afghanistan has a friend and a partner in the United States."

U.S. relations with Afghanistan have been very strained, especially after a soldier killed 17 Afghan civilians and revelations that troops posed with Afghan bombers' corpses. The NY Times reports:

The agreement, completed after 20 months of arduous negotiations in Washington and Kabul, pledges American support for Afghanistan for 10 years after the withdrawal of the last American soldiers at the end of 2014. More symbol than substance, it nevertheless marks a pivotal transition for the United States from the largest foreign military force in Afghanistan to a staunch, if faraway, ally.

For the president, facing a re-election battle in which his conduct of the war is likely to be debated into November, the visit is laden with political significance. Senior officials said the agreement showcased Mr. Obama’s determination to end the war responsibly, even as they conceded that the country that American troops leave behind will be a messy, violent place, where the Taliban will keep a foothold.

Obama added

, "There will be difficult days ahead, but as we move forward in our transition, I'm confident that Afghan forces will grow stronger; the Afghan people will take control of their future."

Obama, who will address the country at 7:30 p.m. EST tonight, visited troops at Bagram Air Field and said, "The reason that the Afghans have an opportunity for a new tomorrow is because of you, and the reason America is safe is because of you."

We did not choose this warm" he added. "This war came to us on 9/11. And there are a whole bunch of folks who signed up after 9/11. We don't go looking for a fight. But when we see our homeland violated, when we see our fellow citizens killed, then we understand what we have to do.

"Slowly and systematically, we have been able to decimate the ranks of al Qaeda," Obama said. "And a year ago, we were able to finally bring Osama bin Laden to justice.

"I know the battle's not yet over," Obama added later. "Some of your buddies are going to get injured and some of your buddies may get killed, and there's going to be heartbreak and pain and difficulty ahead. But there's a light on the horizon because of the sacrifices you've made."