The commander of the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, the head of the regional Central Command, General David Petraeus, and the top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, all endorse the counter-insurgency strategy now being carried out in the Afghan war, press secretary Geoff Morrell said.

"I think, clearly, the senior military representatives who have equities here -- General McChrystal, General Petraeus and the chairman -- have all stated publicly their view of counter-insurgency as the preferred method of dealing with the threat we face in Afghanistan," Morrell told a news conference.

The three officers all joined a high-powered review of war strategy at the White House on Wednesday as President Barack Obama weighs sending yet more troops.

The counter-insurgency campaign underway requires large numbers of troops protecting towns and villages from insurgents while investing in nation-building efforts.

McChrystal, who participated in the White House review by video link, oversees more than 100,000 foreign forces in Afghanistan -- including about 65,000 American troops -- and has put in a request for more.

An alternative "counter-terrorism" strategy being debated in Washington and often linked to Vice President Joe Biden would focus on hunting down Al-Qaeda or Taliban leaders, relying more on drone raids in Pakistan backed up by a smaller US force to prevent Al-Qaeda from using Afghanistan as a base.

Petraeus has said counter-insurgency doctrine does not necessarily require American boots on the ground and could employ Afghan or allied forces.

But the fledgling Afghan army is still being trained and recruited and NATO allies lack the resources and in some cases the political willingness to dramatically increase their troop contributions.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates also appears to share the view of the military commanders, voicing skepticism when asked about the alternative "counter-terrorism" approach.

Morrell said Gates remains open-minded on the question of strategy.

"I think the secretary, as you've heard in the past, has clearly been a strong proponent of counterinsurgency but he wants to have a thorough discussion with the president and the rest of the national security team about whether that does remain the best way to pursue our enemies in Afghanistan," he said.

In an interview with ABC broadcast on Sunday, Gates criticized the counter-terrorism model.

"I think that the people that I've talked to in the Pentagon who are the experts on counter-terrorism essentially say that counter-terrorism is only possible if you have the kind of intelligence that allows you to target the terrorists," he said.

"And the only way you get that intelligence is by being on the ground -- getting information from people like the Afghans or, in the case of Iraq, the Iraqis."

Morrell also said McChrystal and his deputy, General David Rodriguez, who oversees day-to-day operations, were looking at how to address signs of rising violence in the country's north and west, areas that have been relatively secure until recently.

"We've seen pockets of problems in the north, particularly in Kunduz, and in the west, particularly in Herat, that are of concern," Morrell said.

"And I think the commander and Lieutenant General Rodriguez will have to make some determinations about whether that requires an adjustment in the resources allocated to those areas."

earlier related report
US Congress set for final vote on Pakistan aid
US lawmakers on Wednesday were wrapping up months of debate as they prepare to give the final go-ahead on a plan to dramatically boost aid to Pakistan in a bid to stabilize the Islamic nuclear power.

The House of Representatives opened a session that is expected to approve a bill to triple non-military aid to Pakistan to 1.5 billion dollars per year through 2014, with a special focus on improving schools and infrastructure.

The vote comes shortly after the US military carried out its third strike in 24 hours on Taliban strongholds in northwest Pakistan, in a missile attack that security officials said killed eight militants.

The United States has kept up such attacks despite protests from the Pakistani government, but hopes that the aid package will improve Pakistanis' image of Washington and, in time, reduce the appeal of Islamic extremism.

President Barack Obama, who has made the fight against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan a top priority of his young presidency, has said that the aid package was proof of US support.

"We also face a common threat. The violent extremists within Pakistan pose a threat to the region, to the United States, and to the world. Above all, they threaten the security of the Pakistani people," Obama said last week on the sidelines of the United Nations.

"We believe that hope can triumph over fear, and that adversity can be replaced by opportunity," Obama said, with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari at his side.

The bill to support Pakistan has won broad support in the US Congress, with even critics of Islamabad calling the package an opportunity to strengthen civilian control. Zardari last year ended a decade of military rule.

But the two major US parties initially differed on how many strings to attach to the giant package.

The House of Representatives first approved the bill in June without the support of Republicans, who accused Obama's Democrats of trying to micro-manage the package through onerous conditions.

The House will now vote on a compromise version with the Senate, where the bill was approved unanimously after lawmakers toned down some of the stricter conditions on the aid.

But the bill still insists that Pakistan take action against extremist groups on its soil and not assist them in fighting neighboring countries, namely India.

It specifically lists extremist movements Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Lashkar-e-Taiba is blamed for last year's bloodbath in Mumbai that left 166 people dead and more than 300 wounded.

The bill orders the administration to make periodic assessments about whether Pakistan is cooperating in fighting extremism.

It also demands that Pakistan, the only declared nuclear power in the Islamic world, prevent any proliferation of nuclear weapons.

The United States has voiced concern after Pakistan permitted freedom of movement for its key nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who five years ago admitted leaking nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya.

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