[A]nd four years ago, on my first visit to Bagram as President, I laid out our mission. And General Dunford and Ambassador Cunningham just gave me a briefing on your progress. And today, every single one of you, everybody who has served here, and all the members of our coalition can be proud because you are completing our mission. You’re completing the mission.
We said that we were going to deny al Qaeda safe haven. And since then, we have decimated the al Qaeda leadership in the tribal regions, and our troops here at Bagram played a central role in supporting our counterterrorism operations — including the one that delivered justice to Osama bin Laden. So, along with our intelligence personnel, you’ve helped prevent attacks and save American lives back home. Al Qaeda is on its heels in this part of the world, and that’s because of you. […]
Another interesting quote from his speech. He still claims al-Qaeda is “on the ropes” but he begrudgingly admits the group’s affiliates “pose a serious threat.”
So our combat mission here will come to an end. But our obligations to you and your families have only just begun. The al Qaeda leadership may be on the ropes, but in other regions of the world al Qaeda affiliates are evolving and pose a serious threat. We’re going to have to stay strong and we’re going to have to stay vigilant. And fortunately, we’ve got the best-led, best-trained, best-equipped military in human history. (Applause.) And as Commander-in Chief, I’m going to keep it that way.