President Barack Obama is in the midst of a lengthy review of US strategy for Afghanistan that has been complicated by August's fraud-ridden election.
President Barack Obama is in the midst of a lengthy review of US strategy for Afghanistan that has been complicated by August's fraud-ridden election, now set for a run-off on November 7.
Facing Republican charges of dithering, Obama is said to be nearing a final decision on whether to send more US troops to Afghanistan.
Obama and fellow Democrats may believe it is wise to wait until the election is decided, after Afghan president Hamid Karzai's decision to accept the run-off. Republicans believe he should make up his mind.
On one side of the debate are proposals to send at least 40,000 additional troops and trainers as part of a beefed-up counterinsurgency strategy advocated by the top US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, general Stanley McChrystal.
On the other side are plans to hold troop levels steady in Afghanistan and concentrate on attacking al Qaeda targets along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and in Pakistan with the greater use of drones and special forces, a proposal backed by vice president Joe Biden.
Washington as of late October has 67,000 troops in Afghanistan and is expected to have 68,000 later this year. Other nations, mainly Nato allies, have some 42,000 troops there.
Following are some possible courses of action Obama could choose:
Big troop increase
Top Republicans in Congress and some analysts believe the Afghan war effort is understaffed despite this year's troop increase, and requires a further boost in military forces.
They have thrown their support behind McChrystal, who in a confidential assessment warned policymakers that the war would end in failure without additional troops and changes in strategy aimed at gaining the trust of the Afghan people.
But signing off on a troop increase of about 40,000 would be politically difficult for Obama due to the unease within his own Democratic Party and fatigue among the US public after eight years of war in Afghanistan and six in Iraq.
It would also raise concerns among US officials that Afghans will see Nato and US forces as hostile occupiers if their presence is too large. Defence secretary Robert Gates has in the past voiced this concern, although he has since said he accepts McChrystal's arguement that Afghans' perceptions will be affected more by how the troops behave than their numbers.
Moderate troop increase
Obama could decide to add around 10,000 to 15,000 troops to provide more combat power and increase the training of Afghan forces. McChrystal's predecessor, US Army general David McKiernan, had already signalled he wanted some 10,000 extra troops in 2010.
With the insurgency still strong in the south, regaining ground in the east and making new inroads in other parts of the country, military officers may now see the request for a moderate increase in troops as the minimum requirement. Politically, this option would provoke some opposition within Obama's party but probably not enough to make the administration change course.
Bigger focus on Pakistan, hold steady on troop levels
National security adviser James Jones has made clear that several options are being considered.
Officials say Biden has argued for keeping US troop levels about the same, but expanding the fight against al Qaeda in Pakistan while beefing up US training of Afghan forces.
Obama could decide to maintain the US troop level at around 68,000. That figure represents an increase of about 36,000 since the start of the year.
Withdrawal
Some analysts and commentators have argued that US forces should withdraw from Afghanistan and stop devoting large amounts of resources to nation-building and fighting Taliban militants.
But Gates has rejected the notion the war could be fought from a distance and dismissed talk of a US military withdrawal.
McChrystal, in a speech in London this month, said such a strategy would probably be short-sighted.
Hybrid option
Some officials and analysts said a moderate increase in troop levels could be paired with a stepped-up counter-terrorism strategy, in partnership with Islamabad, to root out al Qaeda and Taliban strongholds in Pakistan.
Pakistan launched a long-awaited ground offensive against Taliban militants in their South Waziristan stronghold near the Afghan border this month.
Washington wants Islamabad to target "all insurgents," not just those threatening its power but also groups leading the fight against Nato in Afghanistan.
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