Obama vows no rush on Afghanistan

Florida, USA, 27 Oct-(ANA)-US President Barack Obama has said he will "never rush" a decision to send more troops to Afghanistan, as he comes under pressure to set out a new policy.

Speaking to servicemen and women at a Florida naval base, Mr Obama said he would not risk their lives "unless it is absolutely necessary".

Earlier, he met his national security team again for talks on Afghan policy.

Correspondents say Mr Obama's words may be a response to ex-Vice President Dick Cheney's suggestion he was "dithering".

The White House has said a decision on a new strategy for Afghanistan, including troop numbers, will be made in the coming weeks, but critics say the process is taking too long.

The top US military commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, has asked for at least 40,000 more US troops there.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan's incumbent President Hamid Karzai and his election challenger Abdullah Abdullah are preparing for a run-off vote due to take place on 7 November.

Democratic Senator John Kerry - who was with Mr Karzai in Kabul last week when he announced there would be a run-off vote - responded on Monday with his own attack on Afghan policy under Republican President George W Bush and Mr Cheney.

Speaking to the Council of Foreign Relations think tank in Washington, he accused the Bush administration of "grossly mishandling" the Afghan war.

He said the Bush administration had left a terrible inheritance in Afghanistan, which Mr Obama had tackled "on day one".

"After eight years of neglecting Afghanistan as vice-president, Dick Cheney has now come out of retirement to criticise President Obama for taking the time to examine assumptions before sending troops into war," Mr Kerry said. (ANA)

FA/ANA/27 October 2009---