http://www.reuters.com/article/topNe...edName=topNews

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's top security adviser has told U.S. military commanders there are no plans to send more troops to Afghanistan for now and that the focus instead will be on economic development and reconstruction, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

National Security Adviser James Jones delivered that message last week in Afghanistan, where Marine Brigadier General Lawrence Nicholson hinted he could use more "thousands more" troops, the newspaper said.

Jones' message seemed designed to cap expectations that more troops might be coming, although the Obama administration has not ruled out additional deployments in the future, the Post said.

"This will not be won by the military alone," Jones told the Post during his trip. "We tried that for six years."

"The piece of the strategy that has to work in the next year is economic development. If that is not done right, there are not enough troops in the world to succeed."

"The piece of the strategy that has to work in the next year is economic development. If that is not done right, there are not enough troops in the world to succeed."

An extra 17,000 troops Obama deployed to fight a growing Taliban-led insurgency in southern and western Afghanistan were expected to be on the ground by mid-July. Another 4,000 troops being deployed to train Afghan security forces are due to arrive by August.

The forces are part of a build-up that could expand the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan to 68,000 troops by the end of this year, more than double the 32,000 at the end of 2008.

The Post said Jones made it clear during his visit to Afghanistan that it was a new era and Obama will not automatically give military commanders whatever force levels they request, a departure from the practice of the Bush administration in the Iraq war.

(Editing by John O'Callaghan)

Way to go Barry. Tell the other side precisely what we will and will not do. Bravo.

Idiot.

They never learn.

If you are going to fight a war, take the ing gloves off.

Playing nice will only get our guys killed and make us lose the war.

Oh dear , Oh dear. Doesthis signal the beginning of the end? How can you ask the troops to do the job without providing the means? Back your military or back out.

Quite stupid to go on the record saying what number of troops will or will not deploy.

MHO.

"The forces are part of a build-up that could expand the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan to 68,000 troops by the end of this year, more than double the 32,000 at the end of 2008."

Increasing the troop strength to 68,000 doesn't sound like a cut back.

If the article means he does not intend to enlarge this force beyond the current build up, that may be OK.

So he'd still be sending more troops to Afghanistan, but not increasing the rate.