The new commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan, Gen David Petraeus, says he will not be bound by a 2011 target date to start withdrawing US troops.
Speaking on NBC television, Gen Petraeus said he reserved the right to tell President Obama whether the pull-out date was too early.
He was speaking after US forces endured their deadliest month in July since the Afghan conflict began in 2001.
Gen Petraeus said the Afghan mission was tough and would remain so.
President Barack Obama set 2011 as a target date to begin withdrawing US forces from Afghanistan at the same time as he approved the deployment of 30,000 extra troops in December 2009.
But Gen Petraeus said progress in Afghanistan only began this spring, when those troops arrived on the ground.
Gen Petraeus took over command of international forces in Afghanistan last month.
His predecessor, Gen Stanley McChrystal, was sacked after he made disparaging remarks about the Obama administration in a magazine article.
Gen Petraeus said that arresting al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden remained a primary goal. He described Bin Laden as an "iconic figure" for the insurgents, and his arrest remains a "very important task".
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