US President Barack Obama has promised he will soon announce his decision on sending tens of thousands more troops to Afghanistan.
Mr Obama said he would make an announcement after tomorrow's Thanksgiving holiday, spelling out the obligations of US allies and making clear that ‘the Afghan people ultimately are going to have to provide for their own security’.
‘After eight years, some of those years in which we did not have, I think, either the resources or the strategy to get the job done, it is my intention to finish the job,’ he said after talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Aides declined to comment on reports Mr Obama would use a prime-time speech next Tuesday to unveil plans to try to turn the worsening conflict around by sending some 34,000 more US soldiers to Afghanistan.
‘We are going to dismantle and degrade their capabilities and ultimately dismantle and destroy their networks. And Afghanistan's stability is important to that process,’ Mr Obama promised.
Mr Obama faces a US public sharply divided on the war and calls from some Democratic allies to set a flexible timetable for withdrawal eight years after US-led forces invaded Afghanistan following the 11 September 2001 attacks.
‘I feel very confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we're doing there and how we intend to achieve our goals, that they will be supportive,’ he predicted.
He also said ‘the whole world’ had a responsibility to help the US-led mission in Afghanistan, and that his announcement would detail ‘the obligations of our international partners’.
After months of deliberations and under fire from Republican foes for ‘dithering’ on a decision, Mr Obama held his ninth and final strategy session with top commanders and national security aides for two hours late on Monday.
