Obama: NATO shifting to help peace in Afghanistan

CHICAGO — The NATO alliance that has fought for a decade in Afghanistan is help­ing that nation shift toward sta­bil­ity and peace, but there will be “hard days ahead,” Pres­i­dent Barack Obama said Sun­day as alliance lead­ers insisted the fight­ing coali­tion will remain effec­tive despite France’s plans to yank com­bat troops out early.