By IANS,
New York : US President Barack Obama met his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai, their first meeting since the US laid out plans in June for a transition of security in Afghanistan.
Obama Tuesday denounced as a “senseless act of violence” the assassination of former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was serving as chairman of the Afghan High Peace Council, Xinhua reported.
Rabbani was killed in a suicide attack at his residence in Kabul Tuesday.
According to the White House, Obama termed Rabbani’s death a “tragic loss”
“He was a man who cared very deeply about Afghanistan. We both believe that despite this incident that we will not be deterred from creating a path whereby Afghans can live in freedom, safety, security and prosperity,” Obama said.
Karzai called Rabbani “an Afghan patriot who sacrificed his life”.
The Afghan president left the UN meeting early to fly back to Afghanistan, the White House said.
Obama announced in June that 10,000 US troops will leave Afghanistan by the end of this year and another 23,000 will return home by September 2012.