Obama says he won’t rush decision on Afghanistan

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) —President Barack Obama pledged Monday not to “rush the solemn decision” to send more troops to battle in Afghanistan as he weighs military options on what to do next in the troubled war.

“I won’t risk your lives unless it is absolutely necessary,” Obama told service men and women at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. He promised a “clear mission” with defined goals and the equipment needed to get the job done.

Obama, who is in the process of weighing options put forth by the Pentagon that include various levels of increased troops, spoke of the latest example of the dangers and sacrifices there — helicopter crashes that killed 14 Americans in the deadliest day for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan in more than four years.

The administration is debating whether to send tens of thousands more troops to the country, while the Afghan government is moving to have a Nov. 7 runoff election between President Hamid Karzai and challenger Abdullah Abdullah. The runoff comes after complaints by international monitors of fraudulent voting in the first election.

But Obama did not tip his hand on how he might decide.

“I will never rush the solemn decision of sending you into harm’s way,” he said.