Obama pledges to 'finish the job' in Afghanistan - Summary

Washington - US President Barack Obama said Tuesday he will "finish the job" in Afghanistan, as he contemplates a new strategy for the country that he is expected to announce "shortly."Obama has refused to be pinned down on when he intends to outline the plan after holding weeks of discussions with his war council, the latest of which took place Monday evening. US media reported Tuesday he will do so in a prime time address December 1.

"I will be making an announcement to the American people about how we intend to move forward. I will be doing so shortly," Obama said during a press conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Obama's thinking on Afghanistan has been tightly kept quiet by the White House, including on whether he'll grant the request from his top commander in Afghanistan for an additional 40,000 troops.

The war in Afghanistan has continued to go badly since Obama took office in January. The rate of US deaths has grown steadily while public support for the war has been shrinking.

"I have also indicated that, after eight years, some of those years in which we did not have ... either the resources or the strategy to get the job done, it is my intention to finish the job," Obama said.

"I feel very confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we are doing there and how we intend to achieve our goals, that they will be supportive," he added.

General Stanley McChrystal wants an additional 40,000 troops on top of the 68,000 already there to ramp up counterinsurgency efforts to defeat the Taliban and al-Qaeda. But his advisers have been divided on how to approach the conflict.

The US ambassador to Afghanistan who was once the top commander there, Karl Eikenberry, has reportedly split with McChrystal. According to US newspapers, Eikenberry urged Obama against sending more troops at least until Afghan President Hamid Karzai stops corruption and does more to win the confidence of the Afghan people.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Vice President Joe Biden, national security adviser James Jones, Joint Chiefs chairman Admiral Michael Mullen, as well as McChrystal and Eikenberry are among those closely advising the president.

The security situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated sharply in the last two years as the Taliban has regained its stronghold in numerous regions, aided by the perception of a weak and corrupt central government under Karzai, who was sworn into a second term on Thursday.

Media reports have said Obama is likely to grant most of McChrystal's request for more troops, or about 34,000, but will slow down the deployment timeframe to keep pressure on Karzai. Congress will reportedly hold hearings shortly after Obama's announcement.

Among those expected to testify are Gates, Mulle, McChrystal and Eikenberry.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said the United States will likely urge NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan if Obama orders additional American forces into the fight.

"Clearly, if the president decides to commit additional forces to Afghanistan, there would be an expectation that our allies would also commit additional forces," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said.

Years of reluctance by NATO allies to contribute more soldiers to Afghanistan have frustrated Washington and other member countries more involved in the heavy fighting. Britain is the second largest NATO contributor. Germany has 4,500 troops - the third largest from a NATO country - but restricts them to peacekeeping and training missions in relatively safe area in the northern part of Afghanistan, although violence has been on the rise there as well.

European members of NATO are expected to discuss possible troop increases at an upcoming conference. Previous US efforts to get more from NATO have only produced marginal gains. Morrell expressed hope Washington could get a better picture of what other nations are willing to contribute following the December 7 conference.

"There's a force-generation conference that NATO is hosting in early December. We may see something then," he said.