The United States and Afghanistan on Wednesday sealed a long-term strategic partnership stretching to 2024. US President Barack Obama flew in secrecy to Kabul to sign the deal with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in a midnight meeting. During the whirlwind trip, Obama visited US troops, according to a report of DPA. He later delivered a live television address from Bagram Air Field to US viewers acknowledging Americans' frustration with more than a decade of war but appealed for unity in ending the Afghan conflict "responsibly." The long-term agreement outlines cooperation between the US and Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO and allied forces. Obama and Karzai signed the agreement ahead of NATO meetings this month in Chicago, where the defence organization plans to endorse a proposal to support a "strong and sustainable long-term Afghan force," Obama said. "Neither Americans nor the Afghan people asked for this war, yet for a decade we've stood together," Obama said. "Today, with the signing of the strategic partnership agreement, we look forward to a future of peace. Today, we're agreeing to be long-term partners."
