Pentagon delays assessment report on Afghanistan strategy

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Defense Department said on Wednesday that a review of the U.S. and NATO's strategy on Afghanistan expected to be released next week has been delayed.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told a press conference that the report would not be made public until early September instead of mid-August.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates originally asked his new commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, to submit the report of the assessment on the Afghanistan war within 60 days after he took over the command in June.

But the deadline was changed after Gates met with his top commanders in charge of the Afghanistan war in Europe over weekend.

Morrell also said that the report would not issue advice on troop levels for Afghanistan as it was speculated earlier.

"The assessment will focus on the situation on the ground and the way ahead but will not offer specific resource requests or recommendations," said the spokesman, adding that any request for more troops would be issued separately.

President Barack Obama has ordered an additional 21,000 troops to Afghanistan earlier this year, which will make the total number reach 68,000.