In his first, long-anticipated visit to Afghanistan since taking office in January 2009, Obama took pains to address his message to both the thousands of American troops fighting in the country and his Afghan hosts.

"We know there are going to be difficult days ahead. We face a determined enemy. There's going to be setbacks. But we also know this, that the United States of America does not quit when it starts on something," Obama said.

To cheers from US troops gathered for his surprise visit to the Bagram air base, Obama, dressed in a leather bomber jacket, told them the American people were proud of them for their courage in the eight-year war.

"I want you to know that everybody back home is proud of you. Everybody back home is grateful, and everybody understands the sacrifices that you have made and your families have made to keep America safe and to keep America secure in this vital mission.

"I promise I will never send you out unless it is necessary," he pledged, amid a rousing reception from the troops who had been hastily gathered at the base just outside the capital Kabul for a visit shrouded in secrecy.

But the US commander-in-chief also vowed American forces would be "backed up by a clear mission and the right strategy and you will have the support to finish the job, to get the job done.

"And I am confident all of you are going to get the job done right here in Afghanistan. I am confident of that. That's why I ordered more troops and civilians here into Afghanistan shortly after taking office."

Obama has switched the focus of the war on terror inherited from the Bush administration from Iraq to Afghanistan, pumping an extra 30,000 troops into Afghanistan to combat a deadly Taliban insurgency and fight Al-Qaeda militants.

And he pointed to some successes such as pushing the Taliban out of its stronghold in Marjah, strikes against Al-Qaeda leaders and persuading Pakistan to help flush out militant hideouts in the border areas.

"Our broad mission is clear. We are going to disrupt and dismantle, defeat and destroy Al-Qaeda and its extremist allies. That is our mission," Obama said.

"We're going to deny Al-Qaeda safe haven. We're going to reverse the Taliban's momentum. We're going to strengthen the capacity of Afghan security forces and the Afghan government so that they can begin taking responsibility and gain confidence of the Afghan people.

After holding talks in Kabul with President Hamid Karzai, he added that the United States intended to build "a lasting partnership" with Afghanistan.

Balancing his words for Afghans wary of the US involvement in their country now in its ninth year, Obama promised: "We didn't choose this war. This was not an act of America wanting to expand its influence, of us wanting to meddle in somebody else's business.

"We are here to help Afghans forge a hard-won peace while realizing the extraordinary potential of the Afghan people.

"And we want to build a lasting partnership founded upon mutual interests and mutual respect."

And he warned that Al-Qaeda remained a threat not just to people in Afghanistan and the United States but also to "people around the world."

"If this region slides backwards, if the Taliban retakes this country and Al-Qaeda can operate with impunity, then more American lives will be at stake."

In words targeted at domestic concerns, Obama also promised troops the US administration was working to help their families left behind, and to care properly for wounded soldiers and veterans.

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