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Ambassador Rice Thanks Servicemembers in Afghanistan

Summary: 
On her first foreign trip as National Security Advisor, Ambassador Susan Rice spent three and a half days in Afghanistan to thank our troops and civilians around the holidays, and assess the situation on the ground.

On her first foreign trip as National Security Advisor, Ambassador Susan Rice spent three and a half days in Afghanistan to thank our troops and civilians around the holidays, and assess the situation on the ground. 

Afghanistan continues to be one of the United States’ top national security priorities, and this was opportunity for Ambassador Rice to take stock of our efforts and meet with American troops serving in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and our civilians at the U.S. Mission to Afghanistan.

On behalf of President Obama, she thanked the men and women who are away from their families this Thanksgiving and serving in harm’s way. She heard directly from U.S. troops, diplomats, and development professionals about our efforts as we move toward the responsible conclusion of our combat mission at the end of 2014 and as we continue to strengthen Afghanistan to ensure that it can provide security, governance, and opportunity for its people. Ambassador Rice also met with Afghan civil society leaders and Afghan officials, as well as visited U.S.–supported assistance projects.

You can view the full slideshow with captions here.

Patrick Ventrell serves as Director of Communications for the National Security Advisor.