Defense Secretary Ash Carter Travels to Afghanistan to Visit Troops, Will Meet with Afghan Leaders

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Defense Secretary Ash Carter landed in Afghanistan on Friday night ET, ahead of meetings with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, as well as other government official and the troops.

Carter said that he wanted to travel to Afghanistan in his first week as Secretary of Defense “because this is where we still have 10,000 American troops and they come first in my mind always.” He further mentioned the welfare of those troops, which he says “are what I wake up to and wake up for every day and I feel that and want them to know that.”

Carter also said that the administration would consider an altered timeline for the drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. He said that he and President Obama discussed strategy in their first meeting. “Our priority now,” he said, “is to make sure this progress sticks.”

Carter was confirmed to succeed Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense last week.

Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.