Obama says won't rush Afghan decision after helicopter crash (Extra)

Oct 26, 2009, 21:02 GMT

Washington - President Barack Obama vowed not to rush into a decision to send more troops to fight the Afghan war as he mourned 14 US soldiers and civilians who died after two helicopter crashes Monday in Afghanistan.

Speaking to soldiers at a Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida, Obama praised the fallen soldiers for risking their lives to defeat extremism in Afghanistan.

'Our prayers are with these service members, their civilian colleagues and the families who loved them,' Obama said.

Fourteen Americans were killed and more than a dozen were injured Monday in two incidents, one of which involved a pair of helicopters that apparently collided in flight. Neither was the result of action by militants, the military said.

Obama has spent weeks deliberating with his national security team on a comprehensive review of US strategy in Afghanistan to guide his decision on whether to send up to 40,000 more troops to the war-torn country. A decision is expected in the coming weeks.

'This is very important as we consider our next steps in Afghanistan - I will never rush the solemn decision of sending you into harm's way,' Obama told the troops in Florida. 'I won't risk your lives unless it is absolutely necessary.'