WASHINGTON: A strategy review by the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan has been delayed and will not include a formal request for more troops, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

The announcement came amid mounting speculation the commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, is preparing the ground to request more US boots on the ground.

The commander's report also will not include a specific appeal for more troops in Afghanistan, Morrell said.

"The assessment will focus on the situation on the ground and the way ahead but will not offer specific resource requests or recommendations," Morrell said. Any formal request for more troops would be issued separately, through customary channels under the "chain of command," he said.

The Pentagon, however, had said previously the assessment would look at resources and manpower for the war effort.McChrystal, whose predecessor was sacked by Gates in May, is under pressure to deliver results in Afghanistan, where a NAT0-led force faces rising casualties in its fight against Islamist insurgents. LINK