Precarious and urgent by jamesnews on Blogster

Speaking during his first trip to the country, Mr Obama called the situation in Afghanistan "precarious and urgent".

Earlier, in talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, he vowed to fight terror "with vigour".

Mr Obama's trip is part of a tour that will also include Iraq, other parts of the Middle East and Europe.

"We have to understand that the situation is precarious and urgent and I believe this has to be the central focus, the central front, in the battle against terrorism," Mr Obama said in an interview with the CBS programme "Face the Nation".

For the past two months, the Republican National Committee's website has featured a ticker, counting the days since Barack Obama last visited Iraq. It is past 900 and rising.

There is a clear difference between the two candidates' policies towards Iraq - one of the main foreign policy challenges facing the next US president, and in some other areas too.

Click on links below for more on each region:

YouTube: Obama Tours Afghanistan Report: Lara Logan

In his first stop on a tour of the Middle East and Europe, presidential candidate Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan at about 11:45 a.m. on July 19, 2008. He met with U.S. military leaders and troops at both Bagram Air Field and Jalalabad Air Field—the latter of which is just miles from the presumed location of Osama Bin Laden.1

Obama met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai a day after arriving, on July 20, 2008.

1. Landed in Kabul, Afghanistan on July 19, 20082

2. Met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on July 20

3. Scheduled to visit Israel and tour the West Bank on July 22 and July 23 of 20083

4. Expected to visit Iraq

5. European tour includes visits to Germany, France and Britain4

Obama's Quote on Afghanistan Visit

"Well, I’m looking forward to seeing what the situation on the ground is...I want to, obviously, talk to the commanders and get a sense, both in Afghanistan and in Baghdad, of what their biggest concerns are. And I want to thank our troops for the heroic work that they’ve been doing."

Visit Shows Security is Obama's Top Priority - Afghan Daily - RedOrbit

Vancouver Sun Visit Shows Security is Obama's Top Priority - Afghan Daily RedOrbit, TX - 4 hours ago An increase in security incidents in Afghanistan will undermine the interests of the USA and Obama blames unrest for the weakness of the Afghan government. … Video: Obama visits Afghanistan