Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- U.S. President Barack Obama met Monday night with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan , the White House announced . It was the ninth meeting of the president 's war council to consider whether to send more troops to Afghanistan , as requested by the U.S. commander on the ground there . The White House made no statement after the meeting ended at 10 p.m. ET -LRB- 0300 GMT -RRB- . The meeting included Vice President Joe Biden , Defense Secretary Robert Gates , Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen , Afghanistan commanding Gen. Stanley McChrystal , U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry and other senior officials , the White House said earlier . At the last war council meeting -- on November 11 , Veteran 's Day -- Obama pushed for revisions in proposed plans for troop increases to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government . Obama would seek answers to the questions he posed on November 11 about `` not just how we get people there , but what 's the strategy for getting them out , '' White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said before the meeting . No matter what happened at the meeting , Gibbs said , Obama will not announce a decision on troop deployment until at least next week . One option calls for sending about 34,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan in addition to the 68,000 already committed to the country , with other options involving variations of that plan , sources told CNN . Before the November 11 meeting , Gen. David Petraeus , the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East , told CNN that the decision-making process was approaching completion . Petraeus emphasized the need to focus on the mission of ensuring that Afghanistan `` does not once again become a sanctuary or safe haven for al Qaeda and the kind of transnational extremists that carried out the 9/11 attacks . '' The Obama administration has expressed concerns about Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai 's viability and has ratcheted up pressure to end corruption in order to combat an intensifying Taliban insurgency . Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , on a trip to Afghanistan last week to attend Karzai 's inauguration after his recent re-election , reiterated the U.S. concerns in a dinner meeting with Karzai and encouraged him to seize the `` clear window of opportunity '' before him at a `` critical moment '' in Afghanistan 's history . The United States and other countries are increasing their civilian presence in Afghanistan to bolster efforts to stabilize the country , the the U.S. special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan , Richard Holbrooke , told reporters on Monday . Asked about the corruption problem , Holbrooke noted that some Afghan government ministers have `` extraordinary records '' of accomplishment . The United States will work with those ministers , while recognizing that years of civil war and social woes have weakened overall leadership capabilities in Afghanistan , he said . `` This is one of the main reasons we 're increasing our civilian role , '' Holbrooke said . `` And it 's extremely delicate to get the mix right . We want to help the Afghans help themselves . We do not want to replace a sovereign government with internationals . '' Republican opponents are pushing Obama to quickly agree to McChrystal 's reported request for up to 40,000 additional troops in Afghanistan as part of a counterinsurgency strategy . `` This wo n't be perfect or easy , but it will allow America 's fighting men and women to leave Afghanistan with honor , and it will enable Afghans to build a better , more peaceful future , '' said a letter to Obama from 10 Republican senators sent on Veteran 's Day .