‘Hard fighting’ ahead in Afghanistan, Obama warns

WASHINGTON (AP) — The war in Afghanistan will get worse before it gets better, President Barack Obama said today, but he declared his plan to begin withdrawing U.S. forces next year remains on track. “What I’ve tried to emphasize is the fact that there is going to be some hard fighting over the next several months,” Obama said at a White House news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. He spoke as the U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan prepared for a push into the Taliban’s birthplace in Kandahar Province.