Washington - United States President Barack Obama met on Wednesday with General David Petraeus to discuss options for reducing troops in Afghanistan and will announce a plan soon, White House spokesperson Jay Carney said on Thursday.
“They discussed a range of options,” Carney told a news briefing, saying the president's national security team was reviewing a broad array of issues surrounding the drawdown, which is due to start in July.
Obama will make an announcement on the pace and slope of the troop drawdown from Afghanistan “relatively soon”, Carney said, without offering more details.
Details of the pullback has not yet been announced, and is expected to follow recommendations to Obama from Petraeus, the commander of the 150 000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, as well as US Defence Secretary Robert Gates.
Obama has been facing growing pressure from Congress for a significant reduction of forces from Afghanistan following the US killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden last month.
Polls show growing unease about the nearly 10-year-old war among the American public ahead of next year's presidential election, in which Obama will be seeking a second term. - Reuters