Obama and war council meet; no decisions made

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hours after winning a Nobel Peace Prize, President Barack Obama assembled his war council in the White House basement to discuss the 8-year-old Afghanistan conflict that military commanders are pressing him to escalate.

The president and his top national security advisers huddled in the Situation Room to hear top military officials make their case for tens of thousands of additional troops to target al-Qaida. The session marked the first time Obama has questioned his inner circle specifically about troop levels needed to right a war that has languished in progress and popularity.

A decision, though, was not in the offing.

“I still think we’re probably several weeks away,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters before the meeting began. “I think the president feels like the discussions are going well.”

Obama has told top advisers he wants to identify objectives before committing troops or military assets to achieve them. Even his closest advisers say they have no idea where Obama is leaning on a war he inherited but now must execute.

Friday’s session was the fourth of at least five with Obama and more than a dozen key administration officials, including top diplomats and military brass. Before Friday, the lengthy discussions involving Afghanistan and Pakistan stuck to strategy formulation.