U.S. Senate confirms Gen. Petraeus as new Afghan war commander
July 1st, 2010 - 3:02 am ICT by BNO NewsWASHINGTON D.C. (BNO NEWS) – The United States Senate on Wednesday confirmed General David Petraeus as the new commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan in a 99-0 unanimous vote.
Gen. Petraeus will replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal who quit last week after his controversial comments to a magazine reporter.
The Senate acted quickly on the nomination after Tuesday’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. The Senate confirmation also kicked in NATO approval for the general to become commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
President Barack Obama said he was ‘extremely grateful’ to the Senate for acting quickly to confirm Petraeus. “General Petraeus is a pivotal part of our effort to succeed in Afghanistan - and in our broader effort to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda – and he has my full confidence,” Obama said.
“The Senate’s quick action and General Petraeus’s unrivaled experience will ensure we do not miss a beat in our strategy to break the Taliban’s momentum and build Afghan capacity,” he added.
Petraeus was serving as the commander of U.S. Central Command up until Wednesday’s confirmation. Centcom’s deputy commander, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John R. Allen, will serve as acting commander until a replacement for Petraeus is nominated by Obama and confirmed by the Senate.
Petraeus was instrumental in the military campaign in Iraq while serving as Commanding General of Multi-National Force – Iraq. He oversaw all coalition forces in Iraq
Shortly after Wednesday’s appointment, NATO announced that Petraeus will visit NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Thursday where he will meet with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and address the North Atlantic Council in a permanent session with ISAF contributors.
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