Afghan President Hamid Karzai (HAH'-mihd KAHR'-zeye) arrives in the U.S. this week for meetings with top officials, including President Barack Obama.
Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser, said Tuesday that the White House is considering a range of options for troop levels after 2014. Officials have said the White House appears to favor keeping fewer than 10,000 U.S. troops there, but until now the administration has not said publicly it is considering a so-called zero option.
Rhodes said the U.S. goal is not necessarily to keep troops there, but to fight terrorists.








