Obama holds 'Situation Room' meeting on Af-Pak

Washington: US President Barack Obama and his national security team held a situation room meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan that lasted for nearly two hours; one of the longest such monthly meetings after he announced his new Af-Pak policy last December.

The White House in a statement said the President received an update on the security situation in Afghanistan, and the flood relief efforts in Pakistan besides the progress in the war against terrorism.

While the US Ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, updated him on the political developments in the country, General David Petraeus, Commander of the US and NATO forces in the country, briefed the situation room on the security situation in Afghanistan.

Gen Petraeus underscored that these additional forces are now at the highest operational tempo to date, and are focused on challenging long-established Taliban strongholds, targeting Taliban leadership, training Afghan Security Forces, and supporting Afghan-led reintegration and local policing initiatives," the White House said in its statement.

Obama then received an update on the situation in Pakistan from his Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne Patterson, who focused on the extraordinary challenges presented by the recent flooding, and US ongoing efforts to provide substantial humanitarian support for the Pakistani people as they recover and rebuild.

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"Finally, the President reviewed our ongoing efforts to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda in the border region including our close cooperation with Pakistan, Afghanistan, and our NATO allies," the White House said.