Washington: The United States will succeed in
its mission in Afghanistan despite a recent incident in which more than 30 American soldiers were killed in a chopper crash in the war-ravaged country, President Barack Obama said late Monday.
"I know that our troops will continue the hard work
of transitioning to a stronger Afghan government and ensuring
that Afghanistan is not a safe haven for terrorists.
"We will press on and we will succeed," Obama said his
remarks to the White House correspondents on Monday.
There is no one who embodies the qualities that I
mentioned more than the men and women of the United States
armed forces, and this weekend we lost 30 of them when their
helicopter crashed during a mission in Afghanistan, he said.
"And their loss is a stark reminder of the risks
that our men and women in uniform take every single day on
behalf of their country. Day after day, night after night,
they carry out missions like this in the face of enemy fire
and grave danger.
And in this mission, as in so many others, they were
also joined by Afghan troops, seven of whom lost their lives as well," he said.
Obama said now is the time to reflect on those US
soldiers lost and the sacrifices of all who serve, as well as
their families.
"These men and women put their lives on the line for the values that bind us together as a nation.
They come from different places, and their
backgrounds and beliefs reflect the rich diversity of
America," he said.
PTI
