Afghan president thanks American people in speech to Congress

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani addressed the US Congress Wednesday, thanking "the people of the United States" for their service and sacrifice over a decade of war in Afghanistan.
"We owe a profound debt to the 2,315 servicemen and women killed and the more than 20,000 who have been wounded in service to your country and ours," Ghani said, after receiving a warm welcome from members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Ghani presented a sharp contrast, both in style and substance, to his predecessor Hamid Karzai whose relations with Washington grew bitter and mistrustful in his final years in office.
Hailing a revived "partnership" with Washington, the Afghan leader also gave a nod of recognition to the US Congress' role in buttressing a nation ravaged by the Taliban and poverty.
"The service of American men and women, civilian or military, in our country has been made possible by the bipartisan support of the Congress of the United States," he said.
"On behalf of our own parliament and people, I salute and thank you."
Ghani, who took office six months ago, said Americans have provided an inspirational gift of "hope" to his nation, not only by combatting extremism but in helping more than three million girls enroll in primary schools and raising the average Afghan lifespan from just 44 years in 2002 to over 60 today.
"I would like to return that gift of re-born hope by offering the American people a partnership with a nation that is committed to the cause of freedom and that will join the fight against the growing threat of terrorism."
Ghani addressed members of the House of Representatives and Senate wearing a dark Western-style suit, unlike Karzai, who addressed Congress in 2004 in resplendent Afghan garb.
Karzai's relationship with US officials was fraught with tension in his final years in office. He refused to sign a bilateral security agreement, a move Ghani acknowledged led to "lost momentum, and both partners had to operate under uncertainty."
But Ghani stressed that both sides "made up for the loss," with President Barack Obama able to hold to his promise of ending all US combat operations in Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
Ghani met Tuesday in the White House with Obama, who spoke of America's "reinvigorated partnership" with Afghanistan.
The pair announced that the Pentagon will keep the current level of 9,800 US forces in Afghanistan until the end of 2015.