WASHINGTON (Agencies) - US President Barack Obama has said his review of Afghan strategy will not look at pulling out or cutting troop levels. Obama told congressional leaders on Tuesday his decision on a new Afghan war strategy would not make everyone happy, while Republicans urged him to heed his military commanders call for more troops. Obama summoned key Democratic and Republican lawmakers for a meeting at the White House to hash out their views on how to overhaul Afghan strategy in the eight-year war, where the military says the Taliban has the momentum in the unpopular conflict. Obama told the key members that he would decide on a course of action with a sense of urgency - but that not everyone would be pleased. But a source said he did not pledge to increase troop numbers as his top general in Afghanistan wants. The meeting came on the eve of the eighth anniversary of the start of the US-led Afghan military operation. It was launched to oust the Taliban from Afghanistan following the 11 September attacks on the US. About 30 senior congressional figures - Democrats and Republicans - had been invited to the meeting with the US leader. President Obama is narrowing his options in Afghanistan, probably in reaction to media speculation. Divisions are emerging between some Democrats concerned by the prospect of deploying more US forces to Afghanistan and some Republicans urging the Obama administration to follow the advice of top generals and increase troop levels. President Obama told the group that his assessment would be rigorous and deliberate and that he would continue to work with Congress in the best interests of US and international security. According to one White House source, he told the meeting that he would not shrink the number of troops in Afghanistan or opt for a strategy of merely targeting Al-Qaeda leaders. Obama told the meeting his decision, to be announced in the coming weeks, would be based on what he thought would be the best way to prevent future attacks on the United States and its allies, a US official said. He also made it clear that his decision wont make everybody in the room or the nation happy, but underscored his commitment to work on a collaborative basis, the official said. But he would not be drawn on sending additional troops - which his top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, requested last week. Obamas meeting with Democratic and Republican power brokers Tuesday did little to bridge deep party divisions over what to do about Afghanistan, the most fateful decision of his presidency so far. The New York Times highlighted a tense exchange in the meeting between Obama and his defeated election foe Republican Senator John McCain, who reportedly warned Obama time is not on our side and that this should not be a leisurely process. Obama replied: John, I can assure you this wont be leisurely, attendees told the Times. No one feels more urgency to get this right than I do. High-profile leaders who emerged from the White House on Tuesday all praised Obama for inviting them - but their comments revealed deep divisions over the war pervading Washington. McCain warned against the idea of a focused counter-terrorism campaign against Al-Qaeda, rather than a full-scale counterinsurgency approach favoured by McChrystal. The fact is, we all know if the Taliban comes back, Al-Qaeda will come back, McCain said, drawing parallels between Afghanistan and the under-resourced US effort in Iraq blamed for fanning the insurgency. McCain warned Obama against half measures and urged him to implement a plan by the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley McChrystal, who wants as many as 40,000 more troops and trainers to fight the war. I am very convinced that Gen McChrystals analysis is not only correct but should be implemented as quickly as possible, McCain told reporters after the 90-minute meeting. There is no middle ground, said McCain, who lost the election to Obama last year. Democrats countered that Obama was being responsible by taking his time to decide on a strategy in Afghanistan. We all realise the important decision the president has to make. Eight solders were killed on Sunday, one of them was from Reno, Nevada, said Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, who represents Nevada. There is growing public unease over the war as well as scepticism among members of Obamas own party who question whether it is worth sending in more troops. There were some on the other side of equation, who indicated that perhaps the political will was not there in terms of the people of this country to support another mission, said Eric Cantor, the No 2 Republican in the House of Representatives. Republican Senator Judd Gregg said there was no consensus in the meeting about what should be done in Afghanistan and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, spoke of the diversity of opinion in the room. The debate over what to do in Afghanistan has been complicated by the uncertain outcome of the countrys August election which was marred by widespread allegations of fraud. Incumbent President Hamid Karzai is expected to win and Pelosi said there were questions whether his government could perform in a way that was not corrupt. Do we have an able partner in President Karzai? she asked. While one option is to send additional troops, the administration is also looking at whether scale back the mission and focus on striking al-Qaeda cells in neighbouring Pakistan, an idea backed by Vice President Joe Biden. The White House and Defence Secretary Robert Gates have sought to tamp down talk of a third option - to withdraw from Afghanistan entirely. The president reiterated that we need this debate to be honest and dispense with the straw man argument that this is about either doubling down or leaving Afghanistan, said the US official. Leaving Afghanistan isnt an option, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said earlier. Obamas review could still take several weeks and a meeting with his national security team on Wednesday will focus largely on Pakistan, said Gibbs.