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US to reassure Afghans, allies after sacking of McChrystal

26 June 2010 04:44 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Washington’s senior military officer was due to arrive in Afghanistan on Friday to explain the sacking of the allied commander in Kabul as the Obama administration said it was not "bogged down" in the war, APA reports quoting â€œABS CBN Newsâ€.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, left late Thursday for Afghanistan and Pakistan to reassure regional leaders that the war effort would not be derailed by the departure of General Stanley McChrystal.
"My message will be clear. Nothing changes about our strategy. Nothing changes about the mission," said Mullen.
He spoke a day after McChrystal was forced to step down as commander of the NATO-led force over disparaging remarks about administration officials, including President Barack Obama, in an explosive magazine article.
McChrystal’s disrespectful display was "unacceptable" and Obama’s choice of General David Petraeus as the new commander was the "best possible outcome to an awful situation," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.
Speaking at the same press conference as Mullen, Gates said there was forward movement in the Afghan war, in the administration’s latest bid to defend the mission as foreign troop casualties hit record highs.
On Friday, NATO reported the deaths of two more personnel -- one in a bomb blast, the other in an insurgent attack -- bringing the total so far this year to 302.
June has become the deadliest month for the war since it began in late 2001, with a total of 82 foreign troop deaths, according to an AFP tally based on that kept by icasualties.org.
NATO and the US have more than 140,000 troops in Afghanistan, set to peak at 150,000 by August, as the allies hope to force an end to the insurgency with an escalated offensive in southern Kandahar province, the Taliban’s heartland.
"I do not believe we are bogged down. I believe we are making some progress," Gates said, adding: "It is slower and harder than we anticipated."
He supported the change in command, and said it should not be "misinterpreted" by enemy or ally as a softening of Washington’s commitment.
Obama said Petraeus, well regarded in Washington for his role in turning around the Iraq war, would be able to hit the ground running due to his work on Afghanistan as head of Central Command, which oversees both war zones.
"Not only does he have extraordinary experience in Iraq, not only did he help write the manual for dealing with insurgencies, but he also is intimately familiar with the players," including Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Obama told reporters.
A senior Western diplomat in Kabul said that although McChrystal had a good relationship with Karzai, the appointment of Petraeus had reassured the Afghan leadership that "it will be business as usual".
"The main message of Mullen’s visit is to ensure that the operation continues as scheduled," the diplomat said on condition he not be named.
"But I don’t think it is necessary to reassure the Afghans, I don’t think they are worried.
"Of course there was good rapprochement with McChrystal but they are pretty reassured by the appointment of Petraeus, who is well known in Afghanistan."
Mullen is expected to arrive in Kabul late Friday, staying just a day for meetings with US and NATO officials, and "some Afghan meetings," a US diplomat said.
Obama faced calls from some lawmakers to shake up the diplomatic team for Afghanistan, which they said was necessary to repair strained relations between the military and civilian arms of the administration and bolster ties with Karzai’s government.
But a State Department spokesman said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had full confidence in the diplomats carrying out policy on Afghanistan.
McChrystal’s strategy entailed pouring tens of thousands of extra troops into Afghanistan to win civilian trust and train local forces.
He won early praise for a drop in civilian casualties, reaching out to Afghans and working hard to bring Karzai on board.
His dismissal was met with dismay in Kabul, where Afghans and foreign diplomats praised his bold efforts to change the course of the war.
The Afghan presidency credited McChrystal with helping to "increase the level of trust" with the Afghan people after assuming command last year.
Karzai and Obama endured months of discord and worsening relations, but made an effort to present a united front during the Afghan leader’s last visit to Washington on May 12.