(CNN) -- President Obama told West Point graduates that the United States faces "difficult days ahead" in its fight against insurgents in Afghanistan and said that the threat posed by al Qaeda operatives across the globe "will not go away soon." Speaking at the U.S. Military Academy commencement in New York, Obama praised the graduates for their achievements and laid out a scenario of military and societal challenges in what is the ninth West Point commencement during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the fight against international terrorism. "This time of war began in Afghanistan, a place that may seem as far from this peaceful bend in the Hudson River as anywhere on Earth," Obama said, referring to a conflict that started after the al Qaeda terror network attacked the United States on September 11, 2001.
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President Obama speaks at West Point's ninth wartime commencement
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Obama: Despite challenges, "we will succeed in Afghanistan"
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World fight against al Qaeda "necessary and just"
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Obama hails West Point milestone; two top cadets both female
As for @placeholder's activities, Obama defended the "campaign to disrupt, dismantle and to defeat al Qaeda," saying it's an "international effort that is necessary and just."