Bush sees "difficult days ahead" in Afghanistan (3rd Lead)

Dec 15, 2008, 5:14 GMT

   Kabul - US President George W Bush on Monday praised the post-Taliban progress made by the international community in Afghanistan but said allied forces there had 'difficult days ahead' in their fight against terrorism.

   He also committed the United States to establishing a stable democracy there as violence is on the rise and he prepares to leave office in five weeks.

   Bush arrived in Kabul early Monday on a surprise farewell visit after a trip to Iraq. He met with Afghan officials, including President Hamid Karzai, as Karzai's government and its foreign allies battle a rising Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgency.

   Bush told reporters in a joint news conference with Karzai in Kabul's fortified presidential palace that 'tough challenges' remained in the country seven years after he ordered the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, which unseated the Taliban.

   'Still difficult days ahead?' he asked. 'Absolutely, but conditions are a lot better in Afghanistan than they were in 2001, unquestionably, undoubtedly the better.'

   'We have a strategic interest and I believe a moral interest in a prosperous and peaceful democratic Afghanistan, and no matter how long it takes, we will help the people of Afghanistan succeed,' Bush added in an earlier address to US troops.

   Speaking upon his arrival at Bagram air base outside Kabul, Bush admitted that the goal of establishing a thriving democracy in Afghanistan was 'a difficult and long effort' but added, 'We want to lay the foundation of peace for generations to come.'

   The president flew to Afghanistan from Iraq, where he made an unannounced visit Sunday and met with President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

   The visits were likely to be his last to the two war-torn countries as US president. President-elect Barack Obama takes office on January 20.

   Speaking to reporters on his plane on the way to Afghanistan, Bush said 'no question the violence is up' in Afghanistan but insisted a reason for the increase was that Afghan and foreign troops were engaging the Taliban and al-Qaeda in areas where they hadn't been confronted before.

   He likened the situation to Iraq, where a US troop surge initially led to an increase in violence.

   'This is a significantly larger country than Iraq and significantly poorer,' he said. 'The infrastructure is difficult, but nevertheless, the mission is essential.'

   Bush had visited Afghanistan once before, in March 2006.

   In contrast, he made four visits to Iraq. The purpose of his latest, on Sunday, was to bolster the recently signed US-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement which was passed by the Iraqi parliament in November. The deal, debated over three weeks in the legislature, paves the way for the transfer of full sovereignty to Iraq and the departure of US troops by 2011.

   Speaking in Baghdad, Bush echoed sentiments he expressed later in Afghanistan, saying of the United States' five-year involvement in Iraq since the ouster of Saddam Hussein in 2003 that 'the work hasn't been easy, but it has been necessary for American security, Iraqi hope and world peace.'

   At a news conference, an Iraqi journalist also threw his shoes at Bush and shouted insults at the US president.