WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama on Tuesday tasked a former CIA officer Bruce Riedel to carry out an inter-agency review of the US policy towards Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Richard Holbrooke, Mr Obama’s special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Michele Flournoy, a former us Defence Department official will co-chair the panel.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters that Mr Riedel would look at both military and non-military aspects of the US policy in the South Asian region.

He would report directly to President Obama and his national security adviser, Gen. (retired) Jim Jones.

President Obama told a news conference on Tuesday night that he has asked his top generals and diplomats to evaluate a regional approach for rooting out terrorism from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Gen. David Petraeus, who heads the US Central Command, is working on his own recommendations for dealing with militancy in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

As the CENTCOM head, Gen. Petraeus is directly responsible for all US military efforts in that part of the world.

Ambassador Holbrooke is expected to submit his recommendations when returns from his current trip to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India later this month.

The Pentagon is working on a separate report as well.

The review panel will look at all these reports and then submit its recommendations to President Obama who is expected to announce a new US strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan before a Nato summit in April.

White House spokesman Gibbs said the president expects the review to be completed before the summit.

Mr Riedel is an expert on South Asian affairs who currently works for the Saban Centre for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington.