US-Afghanistan-Obama
US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday.

"I want to, obviously, talk to the commanders and get a sense, both in Afghanistan and in Baghdad of what their biggest concerns are," he told reporters before departing for the trip.

"And I want to thank our troops for the heroic work that they've been doing."
Senator Obama has called for about 7,000 extra US troops in Afghanistan and a shift from what he said was a "single-minded" focus on Iraq by the Bush administration.

He has also called for the removal of US combat troops from Iraq within 16 months.

The US has about 36,000 troops in Afghanistan.

Some 17,500 form part of a 53,000-strong NATO-led force that is tackling rising insurgent violence.

He is trying to counter accusations by Senator John McCain, his Republican rival in the November 4 election, that he lacks the foreign policy experience to serve as commander-in-chief.

Asked whether he would have some tough talk for Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, Obama said:
"I'm more interested in listening than doing a lot of talking.

"And I think it is very important to recognise that I'm going over there as a US senator.

"We have one president at a time, so it's the president's job to deliver those messages."