WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama is probably several weeks away from making a decision about the situation in Afghanistan, the White House said Friday.
"I think the president feels like the discussions are going well," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said during a press briefing. "We've dealt with the broader region. We've focused Wednesday on Pakistan, today on Afghanistan."
One more meeting is planned and "I think there could be more than one," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said during a press briefing, adding a decision is "probably several weeks away."
Gibbs said participants would spend time on Gen. Stanley McChrystal's assessment of troop strength and strategy in Afghanistan, where he is the top commander of U.S. and NATO troops.
Resources could come up in discussions, Gibbs said, but noting, "The assessment is something we'll spend quite a bit of time on."
"The president's been getting what he wants and what he needs throughout the process," Gibbs said. "(Ultimately) we'll get to a discussion, decisions about resources needed in order to implement a strategy."
Asked why Obama didn't mention Afghanistan by name when he spoke about receiving the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, Gibbs said, "obviously there are violent extremists that are in different places all over the world, in places like Somalia, in Afghanistan and Pakistan."
Obama's goal is to disrupt, dismantle and destroy al-Qaida and its allies, Gibbs said.
"We're involved in a fight with the Taliban to ensure (a strategy for) anybody that would want to provide al-Qaida with a safe haven with which to plan and execute attacks on our homeland, on our allies," Gibbs said.
