Tuesday night, President Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan on an unannounced visit to sign a strategic partnership agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

The key agreement signed in Kabul by the two presidents defines the relations between United States and Afghanistan and the US military presence in the country after 2014, when the last NATO-led troops are due to leave.

Obama’s surprise visit comes exactly on the one-year anniversary of the raid that led to the killing of Al Qaeda’s leader Osama bin Laden in the city of Abbottabad, Pakistan.

“Together, we’re now committed to replacing war with peace,” Obama said after signing the agreement. “With this agreement I am confident that the Afghan people will understand that the United States will stand by them,” he added.

“I’m here to affirm the bond between our two countries and to thank Americans and Afghans who have sacrificed so much over these last ten years,” the U.S. President stated after the signing ceremony. “Neither Americans nor the Afghan people asked for this war yet for a decade we’ve stood together.”

The occasion was called as “a historic moment for our two nations”.

By signing the agreement after months of negotiations, the United States guarantees to Afghanistan its sovereignty, assuring also their support after the withdrawal of the military force from the country.

During his visit to Bagram Air Field, addressing to U.S. troops President Obama said, “I know the battle’s not yet over. Some of your buddies are going to get injured. And some of your buddies may get killed. And there’s going to be heartbreak and pain and difficulty ahead. But there is a light on the horizon because of the sacrifices you made.”

At 7.30 p.m. EST, 4 a.m. in Afghanistan, Obama delivered a live address to the Nation.

“My fellow Americans, we have traveled through more than a decade under the dark cloud of war. Yet here, in the pre-dawn darkness of Afghanistan, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon.” he said in speech excerpts released in advance of his televised delivery by the White House.

“The Iraq War is over,” he added. “We have a clear path to fulfill our mission in Afghanistan, while delivering justice to al-Qaida.”

“Last year, we removed 10,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Another 23,000 will leave by the end of the summer. After that, reductions will continue at a steady pace, with more of our troops coming home. And as our coalition agreed, by the end of 2014 the Afghans will be fully responsible for the security of their country.”

Referring to the destruction of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, he added, “As we emerge from a decade of conflict abroad and economic crisis at home, it is time to renew America … a united America of grit and resilience, where sunlight glistens off soaring new towers in downtown Manhattan, and we build our future as one people, as one nation.”

This visit to Afghanistan and the signature of the U.S. Afghanistan agreement, emphasized by the anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death, are aimed to underline the commitment  of the Obama administration for ending the war and supporting democracy in Afghanistan. Just the right move at a crucial time for a president who wishes to be re-elected, but how this event might affect the voters is yet to be seen.

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Early Sunday, a lone soldier walked out of his base and into the nearby village in the Panjway district of the Kandahar province in Afghanistan. This U.S. soldier then opened fire on civilians. Sixteen Afghan villagers, mostly women and children, were killed.

The soldier returned to the base and turned himself in to authorities following the killings. He remains in U.S. custody but his identity has not been disclosed. At this time his motive is also unknown. Initial reports from witnesses stated a group of possible drunk U.S. soldiers were responsible for the killings. U.S. officials maintain that there was simply one shooter.

Washington moved quick to put distance between the lone gunman and the 90,000 U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan. According to reports, President Obama phoned the Afghan President Hamid Karzai and expressed his shock and sadness as well as offering condolences to the victims’ families and the Afghan people.

In a statement released by the White House, Obama said, “This incident is tragic and shocking and does not represent the exceptional character of our military and the respect that the United States has for the people of Afghanistan.” Obama also vowed “to get the facts as quickly as possible and to hold accountable anyone responsible.”  To accomplish this goal a joint investigation will be carried out by the U.S. and Afghan authorities.

According to the Washington Post, President Karzai has already sent senior government officials to Panjway to investigate the shootings. During their visit they found that 11 of the dead were from one family. The shootings come at a sensitive time in U.S.-Afghan relations. Officials from both sides had signed a deal on Friday, March 9 to transfer a U.S.-run prison at Bagram airbase to Afghan authorities.

This transfer was insisted on by Karzai and was considered progress in reaching a Strategic Partnership Agreement, said the New York Times, allowing long-term American involvement in Afghanistan after 2014. Now officials are worried about retaliatory attacks. Tensions had begun to ease after the accidental burning of copies of the Koran at the main NATO base in Afghanistan just a few weeks earlier. Protests following the Koran burning led to the deaths of 30 people.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued an emergency statement on their website to alert “U.S. citizens in Afghanistan that as a result of a tragic shooting incident in Kandahar province involving a U.S. service member, there is a risk of anit-American feelings and protests in the coming days, especially in the eastern and southern provinces.”

The Taliban wasted no time issuing a statement condemning the killings and possibly adding fuel to the fire. “The so-called American peacekeepers have once again quenched their thirst with the blood of innocent Afghan civilians.” They also pledged to “avenge every single death inflicted by the savage murderer invaders.” It is difficult to predict the extent of the backlash but the officials in Washington seem to be preparing for the worst.

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