Obama not reducing Afghan troops

President Obama has announced that he will not be removing or reducing troop numbers in Afghanistan.

However it is not clear if he intends to increase the number of troops either, as the top general in Afghanistan wants.

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The President is making it clear that leaving Afghanistan is not an option, it's not on the table. According to one White House source, he told the meeting that he wouldn't shrink the number of troops in Afghanistan or opt for a strategy of merely targeting al-Qaeda leaders. But he wouldn't be drawn on the military request for more troops.

There appears to be a frustration that the review of strategy has sometimes been portrayed in black-and-white terms of a massive increase or reduction of troop numbers.

President Obama told the group made up of the most senior Republican and Democrat senators and congressmen that his assessment would be "rigorous and deliberate". But it's going on too long for some Republicans and members of the President's own party are dubious about committing more resources and military personnel to a conflict where there is no end in sight. The word 'Vietnam' is heard more and more on Capitol Hill.

The President was certainly right when he said his final decision wouldn't make everyone in the room, or the country, happy.

Mark Mardell, BBC News, Washington

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is not an option, it's not on the table

seçenekler arasında değil, düşünülmüyor

according to one White House source

bir Beyaz Saray kaynağına göre

shrink

azalmak, küçülmek

opt for a strategy of merely targeting al Qaeda leaders

yalnızca el Kaide liderlerini yok etmeye yönelik bir strateji seçmek

wouldn't be drawn

bu konuyu tartışmadı, değinmeyi reddetti

black-and-white terms

siyah-beyaz seçenekler, anlaşılması kolay ve birbirine zıt kavramlar

made up of

...den oluşan

rigorous and deliberate

kapsamlı ve düşünülüp taşınılmış

dubious about committing more resources and military personnel

daha fazla kaynak ve askeri personel ayırma konusunda şüpheli

no end in sight

sonu gözükmeyen