Hunkered down in the White House this week, top US officials thrashed out options for Afghanistan in a dispute that has split the administration and could decide the future of the fight against al-Qaeda and President Barack Obama\u2019s hopes of a second term.<\/p>\n
The likely outcome of that debate \u201d\u201c which has pitted General Stanley McCrystal, the administration\u2019s handpicked commander in Afghanistan, against war sceptics in Congress and at the highest levels of government \u201d\u201c is coming into view.<\/p>\n
Officials, diplomats and analysts say Mr Obama will probably authorise more troops, though not perhaps the 30,000-40,000 sought by his generals, that a substantial proportion are likely to be trainers as well as combat forces and that, because of other demands on the US military, the extra boots on the ground will not arrive until next year \u201d\u201c and only over time.<\/p>\n