US went to Afghanistan with clear purpose

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said here Tuesday that the US went to Afghanistan with a "very clear" purpose following the September 11 2001 attacks. Clinton said before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that the US "did go to Afghanistan for a very clear purpose rising out of the attacks that originated there". She reiterated that US President Barack Obama "has set us on a path to transition out of Afghanistan, this is not an endless commitment that will take lives far into the future". "But that we have both made progress on the principal reason we were there, security," she affirmed. "Because of our platform and our presence in Afghanistan, we've been able to target terrorists, particularly top Al-Qaeda operatives, including (Osama) bin Laden, in their safe havens," she stressed. "We have made progress in helping the Afghan people," she remarked. The US top diplomat continued saying "I can, with a clear conscience, say that the work we have done there has made America safer and has created the possibility for a better future for the Afghan people". She added "we have invested an enormous amount of blood and treasure in Afghanistan. We do have a stake in trying to help work toward the best possible outcome. And that's what we're doing now". "There have been a lot of improvements, but it is still quite difficult for many of us to see what still goes on in that society," she stressed.