In an interview published in The New York Times this weekend, Obama said some military leaders believe part of the success in Iraq has come from reaching out to Sunni militants there.
Regarding the Taliban in Afghanistan, the president said that while the situation is much more complex than in Iraq, "There may be some comparable opportunities in Afghanistan and Pakistan."
"If you talk to Gen. [David] Petraeus, I think he would argue that part of the success in Iraq involved reaching out to people that we would consider to be Islamic fundamentalists, but who were willing to work with us because they had been completely alienated by the tactics of al Qaeda in Iraq," he told the Times. Petraeus is the U.S. commander in the region.
But Obama added that Afghanistan's complexities -- "a less governed region, a history of fierce independence among tribes," he said -- mean that developing a new strategy "is going to be much more of a challenge."
Asked if the United States is winning the war in Afghanistan, Obama said "no."
