President Obama arrived in Afghanistan on Sunday for an unannounced visit with U.S. troops, officials said.
The President landed at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan at about 8:15 p.m. local time (11:45 a.m. ET).
Air Force One had secretly left Washington from Andrews Air Force Base under cover of darkness at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday night.
This is the fourth trip of Obama’s presidency and the first since May 2012, when he visited the Presidential Palace and made an address to the nation.
Others traveling with the president included National Security Adviser Susan Rice, plus advisers Dan Pfeiffer, Ben Rhodes and John Podesta, whose son is currently serving in Afghanistan. Country music star Brad Paisley also joined the group, and will perform for troops during the visit.
A pool of White House reporters and photographers accompanied the president under the strict condition that they not report on the trip until authorized, due to security considerations.
Obama was scheduled to spend just a few hours on the base and had no plans to travel to Kabul, the capital, to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has had a tumultuous relationship with the White House.
