Barack Obama, Afghanistan | featured news

Officials say new deployments will bring total U.S. force in Afghanistan to more than 100,000.

After telling military leaders to put plans into action, the president calls world leaders to seek support. In Tuesday's West Point speech, he is expected to announce specific numbers on troop levels.

President Barack Obama will unveil his new strategy for the war in Afghanistan in an address to Americans on December 1, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Wednesday.

Signaling he's decided on new troop levels for the Afghanistan war, President Barack Obama said Tuesday he intends to "finish the job" on his watch and destroy terrorist networks in the region.

Obama will consider a new compromise plan for adding troops to Afghanistan that would deploy 30,000 to 35,000 new forces over the next year or more.

To help gauge the need for more troops, he's asking for a detailed analysis of Afghan provinces to determine which are being managed effectively.

President Barack Obama does not intend to decide about sending additional troops to Afghanistan until he is satisfied that the Kabul government can work effectively with the U.S., a top White House aide said Sunday.

President Barack Obama said his decision on the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan will be made in "the coming weeks." While military and security decisions will be an important element in that strategy, Obama said "another element is making sure we're doing a good job in building capacity on the civilian side."

Barack Obama prepares to meet senior advisers as the US marks eight years of military operations in Afghanistan.

As Obama's team works on its plans, McChrystal and other advisors are asked to keep the process more private. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Monday that President Obama's advisors should keep their guidance private, in effect admonishing the top commander in Afghanistan for publicly advocating an approach requiring more troops even as the White House reassesses its strategy.