President Barack Obama on Monday added to his schedule an evening session with top advisers on Afghanistan as he closes in on a decision on whether to send thousands more US troops. The White House said Obama would meet with Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defence Secretary Robert Gates and other officials at an 8 pm EST/0100 GMT Tuesday meeting in the Situation Room.
It will be the ninth such meeting as Obama nears a decision on whether to add as many as 40,000 troops to an eight-year-old war that was started after the September 11 attacks and that has begun to try the patience of the American people.