Obama, Karzai reaffirm commitment to Afghan mission
August 8th, 2011 - 6:49 am ICT by IANS
Washington, Aug 8 (IANS) US President Barack Obama and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai reaffirmed their commitment to the mission in Afghanistan, a day after a helicopter crash caused the largest single-day loss of American forces in the decade-long Afghan war, the White House stated.
Obama received a call from Karzai, who reiterated his condolences for the tragic loss of 30 American service members Saturday in Afghanistan, Xinhua quoted the White House in a statement.
Obama also expressed his condolences for the Afghans who died alongside American soldiers, it said.
“The two presidents reaffirmed their commitment to the mission in Afghanistan, which is critical to the security of both our countries, and agreed to stay in close contact,” the statement said.
NATO has confirmed that 30 American service members, one civilian interpreter and seven Afghan commandos were killed when a coalition CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed in east Afghanistan Saturday.
Afghan local media, however, reported Taliban as claiming responsibility for the crash.
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Tags: afghan war, afghans, american forces, american service members, american soldiers, barack obama, ch 47, chinook helicopter, claiming responsibility, close contact, commandos, condolences, counterpart, hamid karzai, helicopter crash, interpreter, local media, single day, tragic loss, xinhua