WASHINGTON, June 23, (Agencies): Presi-dent Barack Obama ousted Gen Stanley McChrystal as the top US commander in Afghanistan on Wed-nesday, saying that his scathing published remarks about administration officials undermine civilian control of the military and erode the needed trust on the president’s war team.
Obama named McChry-stal’s direct boss — Gen David Petraeus — to take over the troubled 9-year-old war in Afghanistan. He asked the Senate to confirm Petraeus for the new post “as swiftly as possible.”
The president said he did not make the decision to accept McChrystal’s resignation over any disagreement in policy or “out of any sense of personal insult.” Flanked by Vice-President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in the Rose Garden, he said: “I believe it is the right decision for our national security.”
Obama hit several gracious notes about McChrystal and his service, saying that he made the decision to sack him “with considerable regret.” And yet, said he said that the job in Afghanistan cannot be done now under McChrystal’s leadership, asserting that the critical remarks from the general and his inner circle in the Rolling Stone magazine article displayed conduct that doesn’t live up to the necessary standards for a command-level officer.
Obama seemed to suggest that McChrystal’s military career is over, including in his praise of the general that the nation should be grateful “for his remarkable career in uniform.”
McChrystal left the White House after his Oval Office call to accounts, and returned to his military quarters at Washington’s Fort McNair. A senior military official said there is no immediate decision about whether he would retire from the Army, which has been his entire career. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
With the controversy have the effect of refueling debate over his Afghanistan policy, Obama took pains to emphasize that the strategy was not shifting with McChrystal’s outster.
“This is a change in personnel but it is not a change in policy,” he said.
Indeed, as Obama was speaking, McChrystal released a statement saying that he resigned out of “a desire to see the mission succeed.”
“I strongly support the president’s strategy in Afghanistan,” McChrystal said.
With Washington abuzz, there had been a complete lockdown on information about the morning’s developments until just before Obama spoke.
But by pairing the decision on McChrystal’s departure with the name of his replacement, Obama is seeking to move on as quickly as possible from the firestorm.
Petraeus, who attended a formal Afghanistan war meeting at the White House Wednesday, has been overseeing the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq as head of US Central Command.
Petraeus is the nation’s best-known military man, having risen to prominence as the commander who turned around the Iraq war in 2007. The Afghanistan job is actually a step down from his current post.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai respects President Barack Obama’s decision to dismiss the US commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, but had hoped for another result, Karzai’s spokesman said on Wednesday.
Since McChrystal took over as chief of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan in June last year, he has formed a strong relationship with Karzai, accompanying him on several tours of the country in a bid to show support for the government.
“We had hoped this would not have happened, but the decision has been made and we respect it,” said Karzai spokesman Waheed Omer, referring to the dismissal. “He looks forward to working with his replacement.”
McChrystal has also been credited with reducing civilian casualties caused by foreign troops, which had been a major source of conflict between Karzai and the West.
McChrystal’s strategy entails taking on the Taleban in their spiritual homeland by improving security, alongside a push to boost local governance and development, while training Afghan forces to take more control before the start of a gradual US troop withdrawal beginning next year.
Karzai has simultaneously been making overtures to the Taleban, and had a modest peace plan endorsed by a national gathering of tribal leaders and other notables earlier this month.
This week 14 suspected Taleban prisoners were freed, including two would-be suicide bombers who had surrendered, and Karzai said the United Nations Security Council would soon remove some Taleban names from a sanctions blacklist.
Insurgent leaders have scoffed at the approach, however, and insist they will keep fighting until all foreign forces leave.
Here are five facts about Petraeus.
n Petraeus, 57, is credited with pulling Iraq back from the brink of all-out sectarian warfare and is widely hailed as a war hero. As head of US Central Command since 2008, Petraeus had been McChrystal’s boss overseeing a huge region that includes Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen.
n A Republican favorite, Petraeus has often been mentioned as a possible future presidential candidate but says he has no interest in the job. Although once a registered Republican, Petraeus stresses his independence and has not voted for years. But suspicions linger in the Obama White House that he might harbor secret political ambitions and could pose a fierce challenge to Democrats some day.
n Known as a “warrior-scholar,” David Petraeus earned a doctoral degree from Princeton University and did his dissertation on the war in Vietnam. He oversaw development of the counter-insurgency field manual guiding the US armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, which serves as the backbone of Afghan war strategy.
n Petraeus has survived his share of physical challenges. He was successfully treated for prostate cancer last year. His pelvis was broken in a parachuting accident and he was shot in the chest in a training exercise.
n Fiercely competitive and extremely fit, the general was once known to challenge younger soldiers to pushup contests. Still, his stamina showed limitations this month when he briefly fainted during congressional testimony. He blamed dehydration.