ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION<br/> <br />One week before the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan draws to a close, President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, thanked American troops on Thursday during a Christmas Day visit to Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kanoehe Bay.<br/> <br />The audience applauded as Obama spoke of the United States officially ending its fighting role in Afghanistan after 13 years of conflict.<br/> <br />"Because of the extraordinary service of the men and women in the American armed forces, Afghanistan has a chance to rebuild its own country," Obama said.<br/> <br />The Taliban was ousted by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in 2001, following the September 11th attacks on America by Islamist militants using hijacked airliners, and the United States has kept a military presence there ever since.<br/> <br />With the end of the NATO-led combat mission in Afghanistan, the Obama administration said earlier this month it would leave a residual U.S. force of about 10,800 troops behind for at least
