The U.S./Afghanistan strategic partnership pact is a major development for the region and has important implications for India. In a speech during his six hour stay in Kabul, U.S. President Barack Obama asserted that the U.S. had achieved its military goal of defeating the Al Qaeda and reached a position where it could transfer the responsibility of security in the country to the Afghan forces, keeping only those U.S. and NATO forces there which would assist in training and counter-terrorism operations.