By Juliana McLeod, editorial editor

On Sunday, May 25, President Barack Obama visited soldiers stationed in Afghanistan during a surprise visit to the Middle East. Obama traveled with country singer Brad Paisley, who performed for the soldiers in honor of Memorial Day weekend and their commitment to the military.

During the visit to Bagram Air Base, Obama made a speech to the troops, thanking them for their service to the U.S. as well as to Afghanistan. He also pleased the crowd with good news.

“For many of you, this will be your last tour in Afghanistan,” he said amongst cheers and clapping.

The Obama administration hopes to clear Afghanistan of most of the US troops by the end of the year, though this has not been decided for certain yet, The New York Times reported. However, Obama explained in his speech that Afghanistan is set to build up its military by the end of 2014 so that the country can stand alone when US troops are removed.

Obama was accompanied on the surprise trip by adviser John Podesta, national security adviser Susan Rice, deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes and senior aide Dan Pfeiffer, among others, including Paisley. The country star performed in front of about 32,000 troops at a rally in Afghanistan.

This Memorial Day weekend trip was Obama’s fourth visit to Afghanistan during his time in the presidency, though this time he did not meet with Afghanistan’s president, Hamid Karzai. This did not stop the president from revealing his plans of the future for Americans serving in Afghanistan.

“We are going to make sure that Afghanistan can never again — ever — be used to launch a terrorist attack against our country,” Obama said.

This could mean that some troops eager to fly home may lengthen their stay in the Middle East, depending on what deal is struck between the U.S. and Afghanistan by the end of the year.

Photo courtesy Creative Commons.