Obama vows to win war in Afghanistan

President Barack Obama on his visit to Afghanistan hints that difficult times lie ahead for US-led forces in the war-weary country but vows to win the war.

Obama landed at the Bagram Air Base on Sunday for a surprise first visit to the country.

“We know there are going to be difficult days ahead. We face a determined enemy. But we know that the United States of America does not quit when it starts on something,” Obama told US troops gathered to hear him after his unannounced arrival at the military base in north of Kabul.

Obama vowed to stop the Taliban militants, saying that his troops would prevail against their enemies.

The remarks come as the number of US troops killed in Afghanistan has roughly doubled in the first quarter of 2010 compared with the same period last year.

After more than eight years of US-led military involvement in Afghanistan, violence continues to spread in the war-ravaged land.

Most of the casualties in the war have been civilians, fallen victim to both militant activities as well as indiscriminate attacks, particularly air raids by US-led forces.

In December, Obama ordered the deployment of an extra 30,000 US troops to Afghanistan, on the request of his military commanders.

More than 121,000 US and NATO troops are currently stationed in Afghanistan. The number is set to rise to 150,000 by August.