WASHINGTON, Feb 13: In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Barack Obama declared that the US war in Afghanistan would be over by late 2014 but vowed to continue direct strikes on militant hideouts.

“We will continue to take direct action against those terrorists who pose the gravest threat to Americans,” he said.

The US media interpreted this as an indication that the US drone programme, which has been used in Pakistan and elsewhere to track and kill suspected terrorists, would continue.

Last week, Pakistan urged the United States to discontinue the drone strikes, although Pakistani officials admitted privately that their demand cannot be accepted.The United States and other developed nations see the unmanned aircraft as the future weapon and are devoting new resources to develop more effective and better equipped drones.

Mr Obama, however, promised to work with Congress to ensure the legality of such measures so that “our efforts are even more transparent to the American people and to the world”.

The US media last week leaked a White House memo which provides legal justification for using drones, even against US citizens. Lawmakers strongly criticised the memo and urged the administration to consult Congress on the issue.

In his first State of the Union address after re-election, Mr Obama also announced plans to halve the US military presence in Afghanistan by the end of this year, from 66,000 to 34,000.

“This spring, our forces will move into a support role, while Afghan security forces take the lead,” Mr Obama said.

“Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan. Thisdrawdown will continue. And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over.”

The president, however, pledged that the US would remain committed to Afghanistan after 2014, but the nature of its commitment would change.

The United States, he said, was negotiating an agreement with the Afghan government that focused on two missions: training and equipping Afghan forces and counter-terrorism efforts.

The agreement will ensure that Afghanistan does not again slip into chaos and the US is allowed to pursue the remnants of Al Qaeda and their affiliates.

Mr Obama said that Al Qaeda was now only a “shadow of its former self” after years of operations against the militant group in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Moving from Afghanistan to Iran, the US president urged Tehran to pursue a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis as the international community could not allow it to have atomic weapons.

Mr Obama also condemned North Korea’s third nuclear test on Tuesday and pledged to “lead the world in taking firm action” in response.

The president offered help to countries like Yemen, Libya, and Somalia to counter religious extremism.

Much of the speech, however, focused on the economy and job creation, such as raising the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour and a proposal to spur growth of manufacturing jobs.

Immigration reformMr Obama called upon lawmakers to send him comprehensive immigration reform legislation and initiatives to reduce gun violence.

“Real reform means establishing a responsible pathway to earned citizenship,” Mr Obama said, as he sought to rally support for immigration reforms. “Let’s get this done,” he added.

Mr Obama informed lawmakers that parents of some of the children killed in recent gun attacks at American schools were also present in the room and urged them to support gun control measures.

Mr Obama closed his speech with a nod to a 102-year-old woman who waited in line for hours to vote and reminded lawmakers they also needed to support voting reforms.

Mr Obama used his speech to push past the fiscal battles that plagued his first term – and still threaten his second – and laid out an agenda he hoped would shape his legacy.