KABUL, Afghanistan – Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama got his first look at deteriorating conditions in war-torn Afghanistan yesterday, meeting with U.S. military commanders and local officials and touring part of the country by helicopter on the first day of a highly anticipated visit to the Middle East and Europe that drew a fresh rebuke from Republican rival John McCain.
JAROD PERKIONIEMI / U.S. Army
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama sat in a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle yesterday at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, before heading to Afghanistan.
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Obama, traveling as part of an official congressional delegation, landed in the Afghan capital yesterday under tight security amid a surge of Taliban activity in recent weeks.
After a briefing at Bagram Air Base, Obama flew by helicopter to the northeastern city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, where he met with U.S. soldiers and local leaders. From there, according to a U.S.-based aide, Obama set out by helicopter for a look at parts of eastern Afghanistan before returning to Kabul for dinner with senior Afghan officials. He ate breakfast with U.S. troops today.
The presumptive Democratic nominee shied away from public comments as his trip began, belying the intense interest in the trip and its political ramifications.
McCain used his new weekly radio address yesterday to attack Obama's foreign policy credentials and judgment. But as McCain sparred with his rival, the Illinois senator received an unexpected boost from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who told the German magazine Der Spiegel that he looked favorably on Obama's call for a 16-month timetable for withdrawing most U.S. forces from Iraq.
Iraq is expected to be part of Obama's trip, which includes stops in Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and Britain. The long-planned journey is designed to enhance Obama's foreign policy credentials. Obama landed in Kabul yesterday after stopping to visit – and play basketball with – U.S. troops in Kuwait.
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