Al-Qaeda tops US Afghan strategy

The administration of Barack Obama, the US president, has been devising a new war strategy for Afghanistan to ensure that al-Qaeda cannot attack US interests.But the US president reiterated that the US approach must include non-military elements and have an "exit strategy". The outlines of the strategy have gradually emerged in public statements and media reports as Obama prepares to take his blueprint to a Nato summit in April, when he is expected to appeal to European allies for more help. In a wide-ranging interview aired by US broadcaster CBS on Sunday, Obama said "making sure al-Qaeda cannot attack the US homeland and US interests and our allies, that's the number one priority". He said that building up economic capacity in Afghanistan, improving diplomatic efforts in Pakistan as well as the region, and more effective co-ordination with allies may all be needed to achieve that goal.