Obama tells the troops: I won’t risk your lives

Barack Obama has pledged not to "rush the solemn decision" to send more troops to Afghanistan as he weighs military options on what to do next in the eight-year-old war.

"I won't risk your lives unless it is absolutely necessary," the president told 3,500 servicemen and women at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida.

He promised a "clear mission" with defined goals and the equipment needed to get the job done.

"I will never rush the solemn decision of sending you into harm's way. I won't risk your lives unless it is absolutely necessary, and if it is necessary, we will back you up to the hilt," the President said to loud applause.

With other US politicians clamouring for a decision about Afghanistan, Mr Obama said he will not be rushed. He has been accused of putting US lives at risk by "dithering".

His comments to Marines came after what is widely believed to be the sixth and final meeting of his "war cabinet".

The Obama administration is deciding whether to send an extra 40,000 troops to combat the growing threat of the Taliban and al Qaeda.

The Washington Post claimed that Defence Secretary Robert Gates has looked at either 15,000 more troops sent to help train more local police and troops, or a "surge" of 40,000 aimed at ending the insurgency.

The president has signalled that he will not announce his decision until after the 7 November election run-off between President Hamid Karzai and challenger Abdullah Abdullah.

Mr Obama told his audience: "You deserve the strategy, the clear mission, and the defined goals as well as the equipment and support that you need to get the job done."

The President was given a boisterous welcome by the Marines. He paid tribute to the 14 servicemen who died in two helicopter accidents in Afghanistan — the deadliest day for the US in more than four years.

He said: "They were doing their duty and they were doing this nation proud."