Bush administration reviews Afghanistan policy

The Bush administration is conducting major reviews over the country's war strategy and mission in Afghanistan dealing with issues of security, counter terrorism and development, a media report said today.     

The most ambitious of the assessments, run by the White House, begins in earnest this week with a series of high-level meetings, the New York Times quoted administration officials as saying.     

Officials have been directed to produce detailed recommendations within two weeks for President George Bush and senior advisers over issues such as American troop levels, how billions of aid dollars are spent and how to cope with a deteriorating security situation in neighbouring Pakistan, according to the newspaper.     

Some of the issues being studied, including proposed increases in American troop levels in Afghanistan, have set off internal debate and could have far-reaching consequences for the next administration, the paper said.     

Last week, Gen David D McKiernan, the top American commander in Afghanistan, said he needed as many as 15,000 combat and support troops beyond the 8,000 additional troops that Bush had recently approved for deployment early next year.

The general's announcement came after he sent his request to the Pentagon; it has not yet been acted on, the Times said.     

It was only last December that the administration had concluded its last major reassessment of Afghanistan policy.

The administration recently announced a series of changes, including plans to double the size of the Afghan Army, restructure the American military command there and put more intelligence analysts on the ground to help hunt down militants from the Taliban and Al Qaeda.