Obama wants detailed Afghanistan analysis

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama, working on his Afghanistan strategy, wants a detailed analysis of the situation in every province in Afghanistan, an official said.

Such a study would help the president assess which of these provinces are managed well by Afghan leaders and local militias and which would need outside help as he decides how many additional troops to deploy there, the senior administration official told The Washington Post.

The official said the president requested the analysis at a Monday meeting with Vice President Joe Biden and a small group of senior advisers working with him on the Afghan strategy, the report said.

The request may also reflect the administration's thinking the local leaders may prove to be more effective partners than a weak government in Kabul whose legitimacy may be questioned because of allegations of fraud in the August elections.

"This is obviously a complicated security environment in Afghanistan, and the president wants the clearest possible understanding of what the challenges are to our forces and what is required to meet that challenge," the official told the Post.

Administration officials say the province-by-province analysis has the support of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and National Security Adviser Gen. James L. Jones.

The report said despite weeks of strategy review, officials say a range of options is still under consideration. The president, under pressure from critics to announce his decision, had been expected to do so before leaving Nov. 11 on his Asian tour, but officials say the announcement may have to wait until his return.