WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama is reviewing the U.S. policy in Afghanistan and hasn't adopted a more bellicose stance as reported, the White House said Wednesday.
"(There) is a review of our policy in Afghanistan. That policy ... review continues in order to ensure our success in that region, but that that policy review is not yet completed," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said during a media briefing, as he tried to clarify what he said officials "believed was erroneous reporting" by The New York Times. The newspaper had reported a shift in emphasis to fighting insurgents rather than development.
"The president has long believed that, whether it's in Iraq or in Afghanistan ... that there's not simply a military solution to that problem, that only through long-term and sustainable development can we ever hope to turn around what's going on there," Gibbs said.
He cautioned the White House press corps on hurrying to get stories published or aired because "(they) may not altogether be finished by the time they get printed."
