The president’s re-election bid is already touting bin Laden’s death. | REUTERS Obama: 'Light of a new day'

BAGRAM, Afghanistan—In an address to the American people early in the morning here, President Barack Obama laid out his plan to “end the war in Afghanistan”—a move that could consolidate Obama’s politically potent claim to have successfully extracted the U.S. from two major military conflicts.

“My fellow Americans, we have traveled through more than a decade under the dark cloud of war. Yet here, in the predawn darkness of Afghanistan, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon,” Obama said in a speech delivered from a hangar at the massive Bagram Air Base outside Afghanistan’s capital.


Obama’s address to the nation Tuesday evening Eastern time came amidst a flurry of publicity surrounding the first anniversary of the killing of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden by U.S. forces in a nighttime raid in his hideout in neighboring Pakistan.

( PHOTOS: Obama in Afghanistan)

“The Iraq War is over. The number of our troops in harm’s way has been cut in half, and more will be coming home soon. We have a clear path to fulfill our mission in Afghanistan, while delivering justice to Al Qaeda,” he said.

But underscoring the continuing danger in the country, just hours after Obama left — Air Force One took after shortly after the president finished his remarks — there was new violence in the country. Three explosions, followed by sporadic shooting, occurred in the eastern part of Kabul, an Afghan official told the Associated Press.

The president’s re-election bid is already touting bin Laden’s death in campaign videos as evidence of his steely devotion to national security. In his speech Tuesday night, Obama invoked Osama bin Laden, the Al Qaeda leader, three times.

“It was here, in Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden established a safe haven for his terrorist organization,” Obama said. “It was here, from within these borders, that Al Qaeda launched the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 innocent men, women and children….And one year ago, from a base here in Afghanistan, our troops launched the operation that killed Osama bin Laden.”

In his remarks, Obama made no mention of the 33,000-person surge in troops he ordered at the end of 2009. Instead, he spoke of reducing U.S. troops from the peak figure of about 100,000.

“Last year, we removed 10,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Another 23,000 will leave by the end of the summer. After that, reductions will continue at a steady pace, with more and more of our troops coming home,” Obama said.

Despite Obama’s repeated talk of bringing troops home and reductions at a “steady pace,” the fact remains that current plans call for about 68,000 U.S. troops to remain here as his re-election bid gets into full swing this fall. In fact, it’s possible that by Election Day 2012, the U.S. will have almost double the 38,000 troops that were in country when Obama took office in 2009.

So while the war may end by 2014, at least from a U.S. perspective, Obama will have to campaign this fall based on a plan and a trajectory aimed at ending the war rather on an imminent end to the conflict.

Indeed, the Strategic Partnership Agreement Obama signed with Afghan President Hamid Karzai during his short visit here makes it more likely that U.S. troops will be deployed in Afghanistan well beyond the 2014 date the administration is touting for the end of U.S. combat operations. U.S. officials say any troops that remain after 2014 will be focused on training Afghan troops and mounting counterterrorism operations against Al Qaeda targets.

“Already nearly half the Afghan people live in places where Afghan Security Forces are moving into the lead,” Obama declared.

In his speech Tuesday night, Obama acknowledged U.S. impatience with the decade-long Afghanistan fight, but warned that an overly hasty exit could result in Afghanistan once again becoming a terrorist haven.

“We must give Afghanistan the opportunity to stabilize. Otherwise, our gains could be lost and Al Qaeda could establish itself once more,” Obama said. “As Commander-in-Chief, I refuse to let that happen.”

“I recognize that many Americans are tired of war,” he continued. “As president nothing is more wrenching that signing a letter to a family of the fallen or looking in the eyes of a child who will grow up without a mother or a father. I will not keep Americans in harm’s way a single day longer than is absolutely required for our national security, but we must finish the job we started in Afghanistan and end this war responsibly.”

Obama also stressed that U.S. objectives in Afghanistan now are modest ones.

“Our goal is not to build a country in America’s image, or to eradicate every vestige of the Taliban. These objectives would require many more years, many more dollars, and most importantly, many more American lives,” he said. “Our goal is to destroy Al Qaeda and we are on the path to do exactly that.”

While Obama did not mention President George W. Bush by name, Obama suggested that error on his predecessor’s watch had lengthened the fight in Afghanistan. “In 2002, bin Laden and his lieutenants escaped across the border and established safe-havens in Pakistan. America spent nearly eight years fighting a different war in Iraq,” Obama said.

Obama referred obliquely to “difficult days ahead” and warned that “the enormous sacrifices of our men and women are not over.”

However, in a speech to troops just before his televised address, Obama said that even as the war winds down soldiers should expect more casualties and more fatalities.

“It’s still tough,” Obama told about 3200 servicemembers gathered in a hangar at Bagram. “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.”

He also connected the trip to the Sept. 11 attacks, pointing to the skyline that has risen where the Twin Towers once stood.

“As we emerge from a decade of conflict abroad and economic crisis at home, it is time to renew America,” Obama said. “An America where our children live free from fear, and have the skills to claim their dreams. A united America of grit and resilience, where sunlight glistens off soaring new towers in downtown Manhattan, and we build our future as one people, as one nation.”

“This time of war began in Afghanistan, and this is where it will end,” he said.

Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP nominee, has been critical of some of Obama’s handling of the anniversary. But he released a statement late Tuesday saying he was “pleased” that Obama had made the trip and emphasizing the need for “success” in Afghanistan.

“Our troops and the American people deserve to hear from our President about what is at stake in this war,” Romney said. “It would be a tragedy for Afghanistan and a strategic setback for America if the Taliban returned to power and once again created a sanctuary for terrorists. We tolerated such a sanctuary until we lost thousands on September 11, 2001. Many brave Americans have sacrificed everything so that we could win this fight for a more secure future. Let us honor the memory of the fallen, not only by keeping them in our daily thoughts but also by staying true to their commitment. We are united as one nation in our gratitude to our country’s heroes.”

Josh Gerstein reported from Afghanistan. Carrie Budoff Brown reported from Arlington, Va.