Afghanistan's Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah expressed gratitude to the US army, in a speech delivered during a visit to Central Command (CENTCOM) at Macdill Airforce Base in Florida, late on Friday.
"Dr. Abdullah thanked US service members and their families for the many contributions as well as the sacrifices they have made on behalf of the people of Afghanistan and for the United States' continued support for his country," a statement released by CENTCOM read.
"As a result of the efforts of your people, we have an armed force with more than 300,000 people," Abdullah said, adding that previously, a security force of that size was "just an idea" to him.
The Afghan CEO also met with CENTCOM Commander General Lloyd Austin and Special Operations Command Commander General Joseph Votel, according to the statement.
"We are extremely grateful to CEO Abdullah Abdullah and his team for making the trip down to Tampa to visit CENTCOM and SOCOM and to express his sincere thanks to the many service members, civilians, and families who, over the past 13+ years, have contributed, alongside our Afghan brothers- and sisters-in-arms, to improving the country's security and stability," Austin said.
"We have forged a strong bond, and in the coming months and years, we hope to pursue the many opportunities that we have built together in support of a brighter and more prosperous future for Afghanistan," he remarked. Abdullah and President Ashraf Ghani have been on a visit to the US since Monday. They met with Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, as well as President Barack Obama.
Ghani also addressed a joint session of Congress.