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| Obama Makes Surprise Trip to Afghanistan | Obama Makes Surprise Trip to Afghanistan |
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| KABUL, Afghanistan — The last time President Obama visited Afghanistan, he came to sign a strategic partnership agreement with President Hamid Karzai. | KABUL, Afghanistan — The last time President Obama visited Afghanistan, he came to sign a strategic partnership agreement with President Hamid Karzai. |
| But that was two years ago. When Mr. Obama returned to Afghanistan on Sunday, conspicuously absent from the agenda was a meeting with Mr. Karzai, who has staunchly opposed an enduring American presence here. | But that was two years ago. When Mr. Obama returned to Afghanistan on Sunday, conspicuously absent from the agenda was a meeting with Mr. Karzai, who has staunchly opposed an enduring American presence here. |
| The trip to Afghanistan was unannounced, and Mr. Obama slipped out of the White House secretly on Saturday evening. He arrived a day ahead of Memorial Day under the cover of darkness at Bagram Air Base, the sprawling American encampment north of Kabul, accompanied by the country music singer Brad Paisley, who performed for about an hour before the president spoke to troops. | The trip to Afghanistan was unannounced, and Mr. Obama slipped out of the White House secretly on Saturday evening. He arrived a day ahead of Memorial Day under the cover of darkness at Bagram Air Base, the sprawling American encampment north of Kabul, accompanied by the country music singer Brad Paisley, who performed for about an hour before the president spoke to troops. |
| Though Mr. Obama did not meet with Mr. Karzai, who is to leave office in the coming months, he vowed to work with whoever wins the presidential runoff scheduled for June 14: either Abdullah Abdullah or Ashraf Ghani. | |
| White House officials said that the trip, Mr. Obama’s fourth to Afghanistan since taking office, was intended strictly as a visit with troops, and that they wanted to avoid any appearance of trying to sway the Afghan political process. | White House officials said that the trip, Mr. Obama’s fourth to Afghanistan since taking office, was intended strictly as a visit with troops, and that they wanted to avoid any appearance of trying to sway the Afghan political process. |
| They said American officials offered Mr. Karzai the opportunity to join Mr. Obama at Bagram, but were not surprised when the Afghan leader turned them down. A statement from Mr. Karzai’s office was terse about the invitation: “The president of Afghanistan said that he was ready to warmly welcome the president of the United States in accordance with Afghan traditions,” it said, “but had no intention of meeting him at Bagram.” | They said American officials offered Mr. Karzai the opportunity to join Mr. Obama at Bagram, but were not surprised when the Afghan leader turned them down. A statement from Mr. Karzai’s office was terse about the invitation: “The president of Afghanistan said that he was ready to warmly welcome the president of the United States in accordance with Afghan traditions,” it said, “but had no intention of meeting him at Bagram.” |
| But officials said Mr. Obama did talk by phone to Mr. Karzai for 15 to 20 minutes before leaving Afghanistan. They said he praised Mr. Karzai for progress being made by the Afghan security forces and for the recent presidential voting in the country. | But officials said Mr. Obama did talk by phone to Mr. Karzai for 15 to 20 minutes before leaving Afghanistan. They said he praised Mr. Karzai for progress being made by the Afghan security forces and for the recent presidential voting in the country. |
| Mr. Obama, in his remarks to troops on Sunday, made it clear that he still wanted the deal signed, allowing the United States to keep a small military force in Afghanistan beyond 2014. His comments indicated that he may have ruled out the idea of a complete withdrawal of American forces at the end of this year, a move that administration officials had repeatedly threatened was possible at difficult points in the negotiations over the security deal. | Mr. Obama, in his remarks to troops on Sunday, made it clear that he still wanted the deal signed, allowing the United States to keep a small military force in Afghanistan beyond 2014. His comments indicated that he may have ruled out the idea of a complete withdrawal of American forces at the end of this year, a move that administration officials had repeatedly threatened was possible at difficult points in the negotiations over the security deal. |
| “Once Afghanistan has sworn in its new president, I’m hopeful we will sign a bilateral security agreement that lets us move forward,” Mr. Obama said. And he vowed, “We are going to make sure that Afghanistan can never again — ever — be used to launch a terrorist attack against our country.” | “Once Afghanistan has sworn in its new president, I’m hopeful we will sign a bilateral security agreement that lets us move forward,” Mr. Obama said. And he vowed, “We are going to make sure that Afghanistan can never again — ever — be used to launch a terrorist attack against our country.” |
| Mr. Obama’s trip was shrouded in the usual secrecy. But after he arrived in Afghanistan, White House officials broke with longstanding national security protocol by revealing to reporters the name of the top Central Intelligence Agency officer in Afghanistan. | |
| The name was passed on to thousands of reporters in a written pool report sent by a reporter traveling with the president. The pool report listed 16 people who participated in a military and diplomatic briefing with Mr. Obama, including one name that was identified as “chief of station.” The New York Times is not disclosing the name at the request of C.I.A. officials. | |
| The name appeared to have been released by accident, and it was removed in a later pool report that urged reporters to “please use this list” of attendees in the briefing with Mr. Obama. | |
| Such disclosures are rarely made, and often become public knowledge only when they are released by mistake, or by leaks from people opposed to United States policy or presence in a country. Last year, a political party opposed to American drone strikes in Pakistan identified a man it described as the C.I.A.’s top spy in that country. | |
| Mr. Obama got his biggest applause from the troops when he praised them for making sure that “America’s war in Afghanistan will come to a responsible end.” The crowd also roared with approval when the president said he frequently tells corporate leaders, “If you want somebody who can get the job done, hire a vet.” | Mr. Obama got his biggest applause from the troops when he praised them for making sure that “America’s war in Afghanistan will come to a responsible end.” The crowd also roared with approval when the president said he frequently tells corporate leaders, “If you want somebody who can get the job done, hire a vet.” |
| Troops used smartphones to record the visit. Afterward, Mr. Obama walked through the crowd to shake hands, saying he would pose for pictures with anyone who wanted one. | Troops used smartphones to record the visit. Afterward, Mr. Obama walked through the crowd to shake hands, saying he would pose for pictures with anyone who wanted one. |
| White House officials said there was no connection between Mr. Obama’s trip, which they said was planned months ago, and the furor over misconduct at veterans’ hospitals in the United States. But the visit will provide the president a symbolic military backdrop as his administration tries to fight accusations of mismanagement back home. | White House officials said there was no connection between Mr. Obama’s trip, which they said was planned months ago, and the furor over misconduct at veterans’ hospitals in the United States. But the visit will provide the president a symbolic military backdrop as his administration tries to fight accusations of mismanagement back home. |
| Mr. Obama did not make any major policy announcements in his remarks to the troops. He is expected to wait to offer his latest foreign policy and national security vision during a speech that he is scheduled to give at the West Point graduation on Wednesday. In 2009, he used a similar setting at West Point to announce a decision to add more troops to the effort in Afghanistan, pushing the total United States presence there past 100,000. | Mr. Obama did not make any major policy announcements in his remarks to the troops. He is expected to wait to offer his latest foreign policy and national security vision during a speech that he is scheduled to give at the West Point graduation on Wednesday. In 2009, he used a similar setting at West Point to announce a decision to add more troops to the effort in Afghanistan, pushing the total United States presence there past 100,000. |
| The total number of American troops here is now down to around 32,000, and American officials hope to leave a far smaller contingent after 2014 to continue training Afghan forces and targeting the remnants of Al Qaeda. Officials say the administration is still deciding how large the force will be. | The total number of American troops here is now down to around 32,000, and American officials hope to leave a far smaller contingent after 2014 to continue training Afghan forces and targeting the remnants of Al Qaeda. Officials say the administration is still deciding how large the force will be. |
| Though Mr. Karzai has refused to sign the agreement for such a force to remain, both of the remaining presidential candidates have indicated that they would sign the agreement upon taking office. | Though Mr. Karzai has refused to sign the agreement for such a force to remain, both of the remaining presidential candidates have indicated that they would sign the agreement upon taking office. |
| After Mr. Karzai dug in on the troop deal in February, administration officials began pointedly looking past him. That came as almost a relief to some, who expressed anger and frustration at the Afghan leader’s increasingly harsh criticism. Mr. Karzai has repeatedly berated the United States for deaths of Afghan civilians and for raids on Afghan homes and the detentions of thousands of Afghans suspected of fighting with or aiding the Taliban. | After Mr. Karzai dug in on the troop deal in February, administration officials began pointedly looking past him. That came as almost a relief to some, who expressed anger and frustration at the Afghan leader’s increasingly harsh criticism. Mr. Karzai has repeatedly berated the United States for deaths of Afghan civilians and for raids on Afghan homes and the detentions of thousands of Afghans suspected of fighting with or aiding the Taliban. |
| The Afghan government’s latest salvo against the United States came hours before Mr. Obama arrived at Bagram, when the presidential palace issued a statement denouncing the reported mass recording of phone calls in Afghanistan by the National Security Agency. | The Afghan government’s latest salvo against the United States came hours before Mr. Obama arrived at Bagram, when the presidential palace issued a statement denouncing the reported mass recording of phone calls in Afghanistan by the National Security Agency. |
| It called the spying a “violation of national sovereignty and a violation of human and citizenship rights of Afghans,” and said that equipment brought into Afghanistan by American and British forces to help ferret out opium traffickers was being used to record calls. The statement said it would seek to shut down the eavesdropping. | It called the spying a “violation of national sovereignty and a violation of human and citizenship rights of Afghans,” and said that equipment brought into Afghanistan by American and British forces to help ferret out opium traffickers was being used to record calls. The statement said it would seek to shut down the eavesdropping. |
| Even as Mr. Obama’s visit was a step toward drawing the second of two American wars to an official close, he has struggled to define the parameters of his foreign policy as he has been confronted with other conflicts in Iran, Syria and Libya and the tension with Russia in Ukraine. Ben Rhodes, the president’s deputy national security adviser, told reporters that Mr. Obama was likely to speak about that issue when he returns from Afghanistan. | Even as Mr. Obama’s visit was a step toward drawing the second of two American wars to an official close, he has struggled to define the parameters of his foreign policy as he has been confronted with other conflicts in Iran, Syria and Libya and the tension with Russia in Ukraine. Ben Rhodes, the president’s deputy national security adviser, told reporters that Mr. Obama was likely to speak about that issue when he returns from Afghanistan. |
| “We are at a bit of a turning point in our foreign policy generally,” Mr. Rhodes told reporters traveling aboard Air Force One. “Our foreign policy is going to be a lot different than it has been over the past decade, and the president will speak to what that transition will mean.” | “We are at a bit of a turning point in our foreign policy generally,” Mr. Rhodes told reporters traveling aboard Air Force One. “Our foreign policy is going to be a lot different than it has been over the past decade, and the president will speak to what that transition will mean.” |