Barack Obama talks to reporters in Washington, 12 Jan 2008

A published report says the incoming Obama administration will conduct a complete review of the U.S. military's mission in Afghanistan.

The Washington Post says Tuesday President-elect Barack Obama will approve a Pentagon plan to send up to 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, which would nearly double the current U.S. troop presence. 

The newspaper says Mr. Obama's national security team does not expect the new deployments to significantly improve conditions in Afghanistan, but will help give the administration enough time to reappraise the situation and develop a comprehensive new strategy.

Conditions in Afghanistan have worsened in the last year, with increasing attacks by Taliban and al-Qaida insurgents, and rising U.S. casualties.

The Post says the new strategy will likely not be unveiled before early April, when Afghanistan and Pakistan will top the agenda at a NATO summit in France. 

During his presidential campaign, Mr. Obama vowed to increase U.S. efforts in Afghanistan, saying efforts in the country had been compromised by the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

The newspaper mentions that a recent review by the Bush administration acknowledged that a modern Afghan democracy may be unattainable and unaffordable.