BAGRAM, Afghanistan, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan Friday on an unannounced trip focusing on meeting with and thanking U.S. troops, the White House said.
Obama, who arrived in Bagram, also conduct a secure teleconference call with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, White House officials said. Obama had been scheduled to visit Karzai's palace in Kabul, but bad weather disrupted the plans.
Obama is scheduled to met with top U.S. military and diplomatic leaders, address the troops and visit patients in a Bagram hospital, officials said. The president will award four Purple Hearts during his hospital visit.
During a briefing White House spokesman Robert Gibbs and deputy national security adviser for strategic communications Ben Rhodes said Obama wanted to visit with the troops during the holiday season to thank them and wish them a happy holiday.
Rhodes said this is "particularly tough time of the year" for military personnel and their families. He said the president wanted to "underscore" the sacrifice service members and their families make.
Most of the troops attending Obama's address are from the 101st Airborne Division, Rhodes said, but all service units will be represented.
Rhodes and Gibbs stressed the focus of the trip was on the troops since Obama and Karzai met in Lisbon, Portugal, less than two weeks ago during a NATO summit.
Rhodes said there would be "no major new piece" of news arising from Obama's teleconference call with Karzai. UPI
