News - National
Obama focusing on al-Qaida, not Taliban
Posted: Oct 9, 2009 7:24 AM by Associated Press
President Barack Obama will meet with his top aides again today as he tries to formulate a strategy for the Afghan war going forward.
It's one of a series of meetings this week on the war.
A senior administration official says Obama is prepared to accept some Taliban involvement in Afghanistan's political future. But, the official says, Obama's developing strategy on the Taliban will "not tolerate their return to power."
The official says the president will determine how many more U.S. troops to send to the war based only on keeping al-Qaida at bay.
The official is involved in the discussions and was authorized to speak about them but not to be identified by name because the review is still under way.
Aides stress the president's decision on specific troop levels and the other elements of a revamped approach is still at least two weeks away.
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