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Obama told Afghan progress 'slow but steady'
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Obama told Afghan progress 'slow but steady'
AFP - Friday, May 7
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US President Barack Obama has called on his top civilian, military and intelligence officials to assess the state of the war in Afghanistan, and to monitor the case against a Pakistani-American accused of plotting a failed car bombing in New York.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - – Top generals have told US President Barack Obama that his strategy to end the Afghan war with a 30,000 strong troop surge is making "slow but steady" progress, the White House has said.
Obama gathered his top civilian, military and intelligence officials to assess the state of the war, and to monitor the case against a Pakistani-American accused of plotting a failed car bombing in New York.
Top Afghan war commander General Stanley McChrystal told Obama the plan to pour more troops into the fight against the Taliban to allow a US withdrawal to begin next year, was making "slow but steady" progress.
"I anticipate that that is likely what we'll see for the remainder of the year," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said after the 75-minute war council meeting in the White House's secure Situation Room.
McChrystal also briefed the president on the operation to "shape" the battlefield around the city and province of Kandahar, ahead of an expected major offensive against Taliban forces.
General David Petraeus, who heads US Central Command, and was in Obama's meeting, also offered a measured assessment of the US military operation, saying that like McChrystal he was a realist.
"It's going to be an expanding tide, if you will, a rising tide of security," Petraeus said on MSNBC television.
The war council meeting also focused on the probe launched after the botched car bombing on Saturday, as US investigators try to find out whether the arrested would-be bomber Faisal Shahzad had ties to Pakistani extremists.
The president's top anti-terror advisor John Brennan offered an update into the investigation, said Gibbs, adding that Washington was satisfied with the cooperation it had been receiving from the Pakistani government.
He declined to say, however, whether intelligence officials had established links between Shahzad, who was arrested while fleeing New York, and militants in Pakistan where he is accused of going for training in bomb making.
Gibbs did however offer praise for the US "partnership" with Pakistan, which he said was characterized by "intense security cooperation" and Islamabad's largest offensive against militants within its borders in years.
Thursday's meeting was the last meeting of Obama's top national security officials on Afghanistan before Afghan President Hamid Karzai's visit to the White House -- which was once in doubt because of his outbursts against foreigners.
Gibbs said the talks would take place on May 12, as planned, as US officials prepare the delicate encounter with a man who is a vital anti-terror ally but is viewed suspiciously in Washington over character and governance issues.
"We will laud him for the actions that he takes that are positive steps in implementing the reforms that he's outlined," Gibbs said.
"We will work with them to ensure they make progress on those that are harder to do."
After Obama made a surprise visit to Kabul in late March, Karzai infuriated the White House with a string of outspoken criticism alleging that foreign nations orchestrated fraud in the Afghan election campaign.
Washington had hinted that Karzai's visit could even be in doubt, but Obama eventually wrote to him pledging continued support, as US officials made a frantic effort to mend relations.
Observers said Karzai's outburst may have been a reaction to US pressure to tackle corruption and implement good governance measures or an attempt to boost flagging domestic support.
The number of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan is expected to increase from 126,000 to 150,000 before the major push against the Taliban in the months ahead.
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