Afghan president thanks US troops, taxpayers

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani thanked U.S. troops for their service in Afghanistan at the Pentagon on Monday morning.

“Thank you on behalf of a grateful nation to people [who] have sacrificed continuously since Sept. 11 to bring us freedom and hope,” said Ghani, who is on his first trip to the U.S. since being elected in September. 

{mosads}”Each one of you has left a legacy,” he said. 

Ghani’s trip comes as President Obama nears a decision on whether to slow down the U.S. troop withdrawal in Afghanistan. Ghani has been pushing for a slowdown, as civilian casualties in his country have increased in recent months.  

Obama is expected to announce a decision over the next few days. There are roughly 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and all are scheduled to leave the country by the end of next year.

On Friday, a senior White House official hailed the “different relationship” the Obama administration enjoys with Ghani compared to his predecessor, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

“This is a different relationship than we had under President Karzai. It’s clearly more cooperative and better,” said Jeff Eggers, national security director for Afghanistan and Pakistan, on a conference call with reporters. 

Ghani thanked U.S. troops for building schools, dams and roads, and bringing an “attitude of discipline and sacrifice” that Afghan troops have emulated. 

Ghani also thanked American taxpayers for funding the war in Afghanistan. 

“All of you who’ve made your hard-earned dollars available for Afghanistan. And because of it, the government of national unity … is committed to account for every single one of those dollars and pennies,” he said. 

“We are going to put our house in order,” Ghani said. 

Ghani also thanked military spouses and widows, several of whom attended the ceremony.  

“For those who have lost a family member in Afghanistan, it is so meaningful to understand that their loved one’s service and sacrifice made a difference, was appreciated, and will be remembered,” said Bonnie Carroll, president and founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. 

“We are grateful to President Ghani for including surviving families in his meeting at the Pentagon,” she said. 

Ghani also pledged that Afghanistan would stand against terrorists seeking to undermine progress in the country.

“We die, but we will never be defeated,” he said. “You will never overwhelm us. You will never subdue us. We will overcome.”