Main goal is to root out Al Qaeda: Obama

United States President Barack Obama on Wednesday said the principal goal of his administration is to root out Al Qaeda and other extremist organisations, but refused to give any preview of his policy on Afghanistan which he is expected to unveil soon.

"I won't provide you a preview of what I've been seeing or hearing. I will tell you that our principal goal remains to root out Al Qaeda and its extremist allies that can launch attacks against the US or its allies. That's our principal mission," he told reporters at his Oval Office.

Obama said his administration is interested in stability in the region that includes not only Afghanistan, but also Pakistan.

"Finally, we hope that the people in those areas are able to achieve peace and prosperity. The military security that's provided and our ability to train Afghan forces is one element of it.

"Another element of it is making sure that we are doing a good job in helping build capacity on the civilian side, in areas like agriculture and education, and I would expect that we will have a completion of this current process in the coming weeks," Obama said.

"In the meantime, we still have troops there who are doing extraordinary work each and every day, helping to keep  the Afghan people secure, training Afghan troops," he said.

Obama said the work continues in Afghanistan and that the US want to make sure not only the young men and women who are already there, but also any additional young men or women, both military and civilian who might be working there are served by a policy that's sustainable and effective.