Obama: No major changes in Afghan strategy
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U.S. President Barack Obama told Congress that there is no need for major changes in current Afghan strategy, according to a letter released by the White House on Monday.
"We are continuing to implement the policy as described in December and do not believe further adjustments are required at this time," Obama said in the letter sent to the Senate and House of Representatives regarding a report to Congress on Afghanistan-Pakistan policy.
"As the Congress continues its deliberations on the way ahead in Afghanistan and Pakistan, I want to continue to underscore our nation's interests in the successful implementation of this policy," Obama said in the letter, dated Sept. 30.
The Obama administration decided last December to send additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, and to begin withdrawing troops from that country by July 2011. A major review of the strategy is due to be submitted to the Congress in December.
The strategy had reportedly received mixed reactions from the military and inside the government. A new book by Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward alleged the administration was split on the strategy.
Obama said the only major change was the appointment of General David Petraeus. The former head of the U.S. Central Command assumed military commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan in July.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently defended Obama's Afghan strategy, saying he believed the strategy was sound and he had no personal reservation about it.
He also denied in-fighting within the administration on the Afghan war strategy, describing relationships within the government as "harmonious".
