KABUL, May 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Afghan capital Kabul late on Tuesday for an unannounced visit to meet with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai, reported local TV channels quoting Afghan officials.
During his trip which coincides with the first anniversary of the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the U.S. president is expected to sign a strategic partnership agreement with Afghanistan.
The Obama visit came a week after the Afghan and U.S. governments finalized the draft of the U.S.-Afghan strategic pact.
The agreement, which would pave the way for a long-term U.S. military presence in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the Nato- led coalition force from the war-torn country by 2014, has been welcomed by local analysts as a security stabilizing factor in Afghanistan.
Before drafting the pact, the Afghan government had previously signed two key deals with the United States which obliges U.S. military to hand over the charge of the Bagram detention center to Afghan administration and allows Afghan security forces to lead special operations including the controversial night raids.
KABUL, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Amid increasing militancy and Taliban's firm resolve to regain power, the government of Afghanistan in a dramatic move finalized the draft on U.S.-Afghan strategic pact over weekend and made it ready for inking by presidents of the two countries. Full story
KABUL, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The long-waited strategic pact between the post-Taliban Afghanistan and the United States was finally drafted on Sunday and made ready for inking by President Hamid Karzai and his U.S.counterpart Barack Obama, a statement released by Afghan Presidential Palace late Sunday said. Full story
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