Obama rolls out Afghan war strategy

BARACK OBAMA has begun one of the toughest sales jobs of his presidency, launching the much-awaited roll-out of his Afghan war strategy by informing top military and civilian advisers in Washington and Kabul and telephoning key allies around the globe.

Obama is outlining his decision to an increasingly sceptical US public tonight in a nationally broadcast address. The strategy will include deploying thousands more American forces to Afghanistan, clarifying why the US is fighting the war and laying out a path toward disengagement.

He first told Secretary of State Hillary Clinton his decision by phone on Sunday afternoon, and then informed other key administration advisers such as Defence Secretary Robert Gates in an early evening Oval Office meeting.