Washington: US President Barack Obama will, on Friday, unveil a new US strategy for the war in Afghanistan.
The strategy is designed to turn the tide against a growing insurgency, the White House said.
As Obama briefed lawmakers on his plan yesterday, defense officials said the president was planning to send an additional 4,000 troops to train Afghan security forces later this year.
The move to deploy an extra brigade follows Osama’s decision last month, to send in 17,000 reinforcements to take on insurgents challenging the Kabul government in the south and east of the country.
“The president is making calls and briefing members of Congress based on the conclusion of that review that the president will announce tomorrow at the White House,” spokesman Robert Gibbs told a news conference on Thursday.
The strategy is expected to rely on more US boots on the ground, expanding Kabul's security forces, wooing ‘moderate’ insurgents, stepping up civilian aid efforts and a diplomatic push focused on Pakistan's role.
Obama over the weekend said it was crucial to set out an approach that would allow the United States to eventually leave the country, after more than seven years of war.
“There's got to be an exit strategy, “Obama told CBS television's 60 Minutes program. “There's got to be a sense that this is not a perpetual drift.”
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