Barack Obama Arrives In Afghanistan; Will Meet With President Karzai On Sunday

Kabul, Afghanistan (AHN) - Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) began a two-day-long tour of Afghanistan after arriving early Saturday morning in Kabul. Obama left Washington, D.C. on Thursday and made a stop in Kuwait before heading to Afghanistan.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what the situation on the ground is," Obama told reporters from the runway at Washington's Reagan National Airport. "I want to, obviously, talk to the commanders and get a sense, both in Afghanistan and in Baghdad of, you know, what the most, ah, their biggest concerns are. And I want to thank our troops for the heroic work that they've been doing."

"I'm more interested in listening than doing a lot of talking, and I think it is very important to recognize that I'm going over there as a U.S. senator. We have one president at a time, so it's the president's job to deliver those messages," Obama added.

This is Obama's first trip to Afghanistan, and his campaign says he will meet with U.S. and NATO troops as well as Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Once he leaves Afghanistan, Obama will head to the Middle East and Europe as part of a tour designed to boost his foreign policy experience ahead of the election in November.