The White House will this week unveil a new Afghanistan strategy that will stress the need for tackling extremists operating inside Pakistan, reconciliation efforts with some Taliban, and a lowering of expectations for what can be achieved in the war-torn country.

President Barack Obama at the weekend stressed that his focus was ensuring that al-Qaeda could not attack the US. He said Washington needed a “comprehensive” approach that included building the Afghan economy, improving diplomatic efforts with Pakistan, and employing a regional approach.