The attack by militants on a Kabul hotel shows Afghanistan is still dangerous, but the progress that has been made in turning back the Taliban justifies the reduction of US forces, US President Barack Obama said Wednesday.
"We understood that Afghanistan's a dangerous place, that the Taliban is still active and that there are still going to be events like this on occasion," Obama said, dpa reported.
"That doesn't mean that there are not going to be events like this potentially taking place. And that will probably go on for some time," Obama added. "Our work is not done."
The overnight attack on the Intercontinental Hotel left nine people dead during a fight that lasted for hours.
Obama announced last week that he is withdrawing 10,000 US soldiers by the end of this year, and an additional 23,000 by September 2012. The US presence in Afghanistan currently numbers about 100,000, with the reductions to begin in July.