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"We understood that Afghanistan is a dangerous place, that the Taliban is still active and that there are still going to be events like this on occasion. The question is, in terms of overall trend, is Afghan capacity increasing?," Obama said.
On Libya and the debate over consultation with Congress on U.S. military engagement there, Mr. Obama repeated his position that he has not been in violation of the 1973 War Powers Resolution because American operations are "limited in time and scope."
On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a resolution that would authorize U.S. participation in NATO-led Libya operations for up to one year. But criticism of the president on Libya continues on Capitol Hill.
The president responded this way to a question about whether Americans should be prepared for prolonged military operations in Libya and what constitutes success.
"There is no doubt that [Libyan leader Moammar] Gadhafi stepping down from power is, from the international community's perspective, going to be the primary way that we can assure that the overall mission of Libya's people being protected is accomplished," Mr. Obama said.
Mr. Obama noted the International Criminal Court decision ordering Moammar Gadhafi's arrest on war crimes charges, and he pointed to reports of Libyan government troops engaging in "horrible acts," including possibly using rape as a weapon of war.
Mr. Obama was also asked about his position on same-sex marriage, in the wake of the recent vote by the New York state legislature approving a homosexual marriage bill.
The president, who was to hold a reception later for gay civil rights leaders, said he deplores discrimination based on sexual orientation, and that his administration has done more to advance gay rights "than the previous 43 presidents."