Obama will spell out Afghanistan war plans

WASHINGTON -- War-weary Americans will support more fighting in Afghanistan once they understand the perils of losing, President Barack Obama said Tuesday, announcing that he was ready to spell out war plans virtually sure to include tens of thousands more U.S. troops.

Eight years after the Sept. 11 attacks led the U.S. into Afghanistan, Obama said it is still in America's vital national interest to "dismantle and destroy" al-Qaida terrorists and extremist allies.

"I intend to finish the job," he said.

Obama said he would announce after Thanksgiving his decision on additional troops, and military, congressional and other sources said the occasion would be a Tuesday night televised speech laying out his plans for expanding the Afghan conflict, then ultimately ending America's military role.

Republican critics have been pressing him for months to decide on a next step in Afghanistan, but Obama repeatedly has said he was more concerned with making a decision that was right rather than quick.

Neither he nor his advisers has detailed an exit plan, but the strategy he is expected to describe next week would include specific dates that deployments could be slowed or stopped if necessary, a senior military official said.

The official and others spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision was not final.

With U.S. combat deaths climbing on Obama's watch and more than half the American public opposed to escalation, the president seemed to acknowledge Tuesday that he has a lot to explain.

"I feel very confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we're doing there and how we intend to achieve our goals, that they will be supportive," he said, speaking at a White House news conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"I can tell you, as I've said before, that it is in our strategic interest, in our national security interest to make sure that al-Qaida and its extremist allies cannot operate effectively" in the area, he said.

"We are going to dismantle and degrade their capabilities and ultimately dismantle and destroy their networks. And Afghanistan's stability is important to that process."

Military officials expect an infusion of approximately 32,000 to 35,000 troops to begin in February or March, the largest expansion since the beginning of the war and one that could bring the cost above $75 billion annually.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan, has warned that the war risks failure without a large troop infusion.

Although he preferred a higher figure, about 40,000, McChrystal is expected to tell Congress next week that this lesser addition still gives him the tools to better combat insurgents in the south and east of Afghanistan.