Obama aware of Afghan differences

US President Barack ObamaBarack Obama has said his decision on a new strategy in Afghanistan will not please everyone.

He told key figures from Congress, gathered to discuss future US plans, that he would decide on a course of action with a sense of urgency.

Democratic Senator Harry ReidHarry Reid said members from both parties told Mr Obama they would support his decision.

But Republican Senator Mitch McConnellMitch McConnell stressed backing would depend on Mr Obama following his generals' advice.

The talks at the White House came as debate intensifies over whether the US should send more troops to Afghanistan.

There appears to be a frustration that the review of strategy has some times been portrayed in black and white terms of a massive increase or reduction of troop numbers.

As one administration official put it - it's not about doubling down or leaving.

But it's going on too long for some Republicans, and members of the president's own party are dubious about committing more resources and military personnel to a conflict where there is no end in sight.

The word Vietnam is heard more and more on Capitol Hill.

A US official, quoted by Reuters news agency, said of the meeting: "He... made it clear that his decision won't make everybody in the room or the nation happy, but underscored his commitment to work on a collaborative basis."

About 30 senior congressional figures from both parties' leaderships and key House and Senate committees were involved.

Democratic Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy Pelosi said that there had been some agreement but also some "diversity of opinion".

She said that resources should not be deployed in Afghanistan without a strategy in place first.

Former Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCainJohn McCain urged Mr Obama to take heed of the advice given by generals on the ground.

An unnamed Obama administration official told reporters that the president would "be rigorous and deliberate, while moving forward with a sense of urgency".

Speaking earlier, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Mr Obama considered it "tremendously important" to listen to Congress but that he would not be swayed by political considerations.

"The president is going to make a decision - popular or unpopular - based on what he thinks is in the best interests of the country," he said.

Last week the top US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley McChrystal, said the operation was "under-resourced" and a "dramatically different" strategy might be needed.

Afghan strategy

Tuesday's meeting came a day after Defence Secretary Robert GatesSecretary Robert Gates said more time was needed to decide on Afghan troop deployment.

Mr Gates said the president welcomed candid advice on Afghanistan, but added that it should be made in private - considered a mild rebuke after public remarks on Afghanistan by Gen McChrystal and other senior officials.

The defence secretary is believed to have an open mind on the direction of Afghan strategy.

But the security situation in Afghanistan is continuing to deteriorate, with Mr Gates saying the war was on a "worrisome trajectory".

Eight US servicemen and two Afghan soldiers died on Sunday in an attack in Afghanistan's Nuristan province.

The bodies of four of the Americans killed were brought back to Dover Air Force base in the US state of Delaware on Tuesday.

Covert operations

The Obama administration is under increasing pressure to set out a revised policy on Afghanistan, where the conflict will shortly enter its ninth year.

Divisions are emerging in Congress between some Democrats concerned by the prospect of deploying more US forces to Afghanistan and some Republicans urging the Obama administration to follow the advice of top generals and increase troop levels.

An alternative strategy would concentrate on targeting al-Qaeda and increasing covert operations and unmanned drone attacks. Vice-President Joe BidenJoe Biden is said to favour this approach.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Monday that the US was not considering pulling its troops out of Afghanistan.

Some 68,000 US troops are due in Afghanistan by the end of 2009.

Mr Obama met Gen McChrystal on Air Force One in Copenhagen last week.

The president has said the strategy in Afghanistan must be agreed before a decision can be made on troop numbers.

Gen McChrystal had described the situation in Afghanistan as "serious" and is believed to have requested up to 40,000 additional troops.

He is believed to want the focus of the strategy to fall on protecting the Afghan people and carrying the fight to the Taliban.

US strategy will be discussed in a series of Obama administration meetings this week.

At the weekend, the new head of the British Army, Gen Sir David Richards, backed calls for more international forces, saying that reinforcements would enable Nato to achieve its objectives more quickly and with fewer casualties.