Washington: US President Barack Obama
will hold a situation room meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan
with his national security team today to take a stock of the
current situation following arrests of some top Taliban
commander.
The meeting is also expected to discuss the progress
of the major operation by the US and Afghan forces against the
Taliban in Southern Afghanistan.
Among others the meeting would be attended by
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defence Secretary Robert
Gates, US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice, Deputy Secretary of
State James Steinberg, US Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl
Eikenberry, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral
Michael Mullen, and General James E. Cartwright, USMC, Vice
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; and General David Petraeus,
US Central Command, the White House said.
Admiral (retd) Dennis Blair, Director of National
Intelligence; CIA Director Leon Panetta; General (rtd) James
Jones, National Security Advisor will also attend the meeting.
US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan
Richard Holbrooke, US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson
and US Commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal
would participate in the meeting via video-conferencing.
PTI
First Published: Friday, March 12, 2010, 10:43