KABUL , Afghanistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sen. Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday , met with American forces and , according to a U.S. official , is expected to meet Sunday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai . Sen. Barack Obama attends a meeting in Jalalabad , Afghanistan , on Saturday . The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee was visiting the Central Asian nation before he embarks on a tour of the Middle East and Europe , a trip aimed at boosting his foreign policy credentials . The trip , which comes four months ahead of the presidential election , marks Obama 's first visit to Afghanistan . The trip has been shrouded in secrecy for security reasons , a standard precaution for most U.S. officials in conflict zones . On Saturday , the senator from Illinois traveled to eastern Afghanistan to visit Americans forces under NATO 's Regional Command East . Obama is accompanied by Sen. Charles Hagel , R-Nebraska , and Sen. Jack Reed , D-Rhode Island . The senators met service members at Jalalabad airfield in Nangarhar province . The governor of Nangarhar province , Gul Agha Shirzai -- formerly the governor of Kandahar province -- also met the senators at the air base . Shirzai and Obama embraced briefly at the end of the meeting . Watch Obama 's visit to Jalalabad '' Upon arrival at Bagram Air Base , the senators were briefed by Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser , commanding general of the Regional Command East . Ahead of the trip to Afghanistan , the senators stopped in Kuwait to visit U.S. troops , Obama campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs said . They left Washington on Thursday . In Kuwait , the senators visited Camp Arifjan for about two hours to meet with U.S. Army Central leadership , take a brief tour of the base and talk with soldiers , U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Bill Nutter said . They met in a gymnasium with about 1,000 military members , who cheered jubliantly at their arrival . `` America is unified in being so proud of the extraordinary , brilliant , dedicated professional service that is provided by all members of our armed services , '' he told the military personnel there . Later , Obama shot baskets with some soldiers , drawing cheers with each basket he made . Watch Obama meet troops and play some hoops '' Soldiers were able to meet the senator on the basketball court later . After , Obama said , `` I am just very proud of the extraordinary work that the troops are doing here in Kuwait ; you 're providing all the logistical support that 's needed for folks in the battlefield and without you this effort would not be successful . '' Hagel agreed , saying , `` We 're here first to thank the troops . '' After the events at the the gymnasium , they met with Lt. Gen. Jim Lovelace , the U.S. Army Central Commander , and senior leadership who gave them an overview of the command , Nutter said . Obama spoke briefly to a pool reporter about his trip just before leaving Washington . `` I 'm looking forward to seeing what the situation on the ground is , '' Obama said . `` I want to , obviously , talk to the commanders and get a sense , both in Afghanistan and in Baghdad of , you know , what the most , their biggest concerns are . And I want to thank our troops for the heroic work that they 've been doing . '' Asked whether he would have tough talk for the leaders of Afghanistan and Iraq , Obama said he was `` more interested in listening than doing a lot of talking . '' `` I think it is very important to recognize that I 'm going over there as a U.S. senator . We have one president at a time , so it 's the president 's job to deliver those messages , '' Obama said . Watch Obama 's foreign policy adviser discuss overseas trip '' The fight in Afghanistan has become a more pressing issue on the political radar . Three times as many coalition soldiers and other military personnel have died this month in Afghanistan , compared with Iraq . July 's death toll for coalition troops in Afghanistan reached 22 Saturday , after the Friday death of a Canadian soldier was announced . The fight in Afghanistan has become a more pressing issue on the political radar . Three times as many coalition soldiers and other military personnel have died in July in Afghanistan than in Iraq . On Sunday , nine U.S. soldiers were killed in a fight with about 200 Taliban militants in eastern Afghanistan . It was the deadliest attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan in three years . Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that U.S. officials are looking for ways to send more troops to Afghanistan , amid the resurgence of violence nearly seven years after the ousting of the Taliban government . Gates said the hope is to send additional forces `` sooner rather than later . '' He said the Pentagon is `` working very hard to see if there are opportunities to send additional forces sooner rather than later . '' That probably means further reductions in troop levels in Iraq this year to free up forces for Afghanistan . Watch officials discuss need for more troops in Afghanistan '' Obama is to travel to Jordan on Tuesday and then visit Israel , Germany , France and England . CNN 's Reza Sayah in Kabul and Barbara Starr in Washington contributed to this report .