Filed by KOSU News in US News.
November 11, 2009

President Obama is pushing his national security team for more detail about an exit strategy for U.S. forces fighting in Afghanistan.

The president met with his advisers Wednesday to chart a new strategy for the war. Obama went into this latest strategy session with what the White House had called four “final” options on the table.

Each involved sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, but would require different troop levels and would embrace different goals for the U.S. involvement there.

After the 2 1/2 hour meeting Wednesday, administration officials said the president does not plan to accept any of the options in their current form. The officials said the president is pushing to clarify how and when U.S. troops would hand over responsibility to Afghan security forces — and raising questions about the credibility of the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Obama wants to make clear that the U.S. commitment in Afghanistan is not open-ended, one source added.

Still, White House and military officials say the president is close to making a decision on a new strategy for the war.

The president’s questions come as his ambassador in Kabul, Karl Eikenberry, is reportedly expressing deep concerns about committing more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

Eikenberry, a retired Army lieutenant general, is said to be unconvinced that Karzai is committed to rooting out corruption in his government. Copyright 2009 National Public Radio