Obama Hits on Corruption, Military Issues in Surprise Afghan Trip

AFGHANISTAN -- March 28, 2010 at 2:08 PM EDT

Obama Hits on Corruption, Military Issues in Surprise Afghan Trip

President Barack Obama on Sunday made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan -- the first of his presidency -- to discuss anti-corruption measures in the Karzai government and visit with U.S. military leaders and troops.

During his visit to the capital Kabul, which lasted only hours, President Obama met with President Hamid Karzai and Cabinet officials, emphasizing the importance of good governance.

"Progress will continue to be made, but we also want to make progress on the civilian front," he said, reported the Associated Press.

Improved electricity was a sign of progress in the country, but improvements also are needed in anti-corruption efforts and adherence to the rule of law, he said.

"All of these things end up resulting in an Afghanistan that is more prosperous and more secure," he added.

Karzai promised that Afghanistan "would move forward into the future" and eventually take over its own security.

Also announced during the trip, which was kept under wraps for security reasons: President Karzai will visit Washington, D.C., on May 12, according to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs' Twitter feed.

President Obama also met with military leaders and troops at Bagram Air Base during his brief visit. The president ordered 30,000 more troops in December to fight a growing Taliban insurgency, and by summer about 100,000 U.S. troops are expected to be in place.

Last month, U.S. forces overtook the Taliban stronghold of Marjah in southern Helmand Province. The next major U.S. and NATO operation is planned for Kandahar, the spiritual home of the Taliban.

Beginning October 24, 2012, PBS NewsHour will allow open commenting for all registered users. We hope that the elimination of our moderation process will enable a more organic discussion amongst you, our audience. However, if a commenter violates our terms of use or abuses the commenting forum, their comment will be removed. We reserve the right to remove posts that do not follow these basic guidelines: comments must be relevant to the topic of the post; may not include profanity, personal attacks or hate speech; may not promote a business or raise money; may not be spam. Anything you post should be your own work. The PBS NewsHour reserves the right to read on the air and/or publish on its website or in any medium now known or unknown the comments or emails that we receive. By submitting comments, you agree to the PBS Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which include more details.