Thaindian News

Washington, Nov. 25 (ANI): US President Barack Obama has said that he intends to “finish the job” in Afghanistan, and that his new strategy would break from the policies he had inherited from the Bush administration.

Addressing a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Obama said his administrations would aim to keep Al Qaeda from using Afghanistan to launch more attacks against the United States and to bring stability to the region.

“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,” The New York Times quoted Obama, as saying.

Obama said he would outline his Afghanistan strategy after Thanksgiving, adding, “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.”

Meanwhile, White House aides signalled that Obama would send as many as 25,000 to 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.

According to his aides, Obama completed his consultations with his war council on Monday night and would formally announce his decision next week.

His consultation with senior advisers covered a wide variety of issues, including benchmarks to measure progress by Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as the specific number of additional American troops to send.

One administration official involved in Afghanistan policy said the president and his top advisers were thinking in terms of “exit strategies” and not necessarily “exit timetables.”

Obama will also be making a broader appeal for Afghanistan’s neighbors and regional actors to play a role, the officials said.

“We have to do it as part of a broader international community. So one of the things I’m going to be discussing is the obligations of our international partners in this process,” he said at the news conference. (ANI)