US Senate Confirms Petraeus to Lead Afghan War Skip to main content

US Senate Confirms Petraeus to Lead Afghan War

US Gen David Petraeus appears before the US Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing to become the head of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan on Capitol Hill, 29 Jun 2010
Photo: AFP
US Gen David Petraeus appears before the US Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing to become the head of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan on Capitol Hill, 29 Jun 2010 

The U.S. Senate has confirmed General David Petraeus as the next commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Lawmakers voted unanimously in support of Petraeus's nomination Wednesday. He replaces General Stanley McChrystal, who resigned last week after he and his aides made disparaging remarks about Obama administration officials.
Petraeus, who has been head of U.S. Central Command, is widely credited for helping turn around the war in Iraq by implementing a counter-insurgency strategy that helped lay the framework for the current effort in Afghanistan.
He has warned that troops face an "industrial strength" Taliban insurgency while having to train Afghan forces and build up local governance.
On Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder traveled to Kabul and urged Afghan leaders to do more to improve governance and enforce the rule of law in Afghanistan as its government tries to curtail corruption.
US Atorney General Eric Holder holds a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, 30 Jun 2010
AP
US Attorney General Eric Holder holds a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan. Holder was in the Afghan capital to talk with officials about improving the justice system and fighting corruption, 30 Jun 2010
Holder met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other top officials in the first trip to Afghanistan by a U.S. attorney general.
Holder said the United States is committed to working with Afghanistan to achieve long-term stability by following the rule of law. He said fighting corruption was a top priority for the Obama administration. Holder also said all Afghans should have access to a fair, efficient and transparent judicial system.
On Monday, U.S. Representative Nita Lowey, the chair of the House subcommittee for foreign aid, said she was blocking nearly $4 billion dollars in funding for Afghanistan following media reports that large amounts of U.S. aid were being diverted by Afghan officials and taken out of the country.
Afghan Finance Minister Mohammad Omar Zakhailwal rejected the allegations Wednesday and instead blamed corruption on foreign contractors.
Also Wednesday, British Foreign Minister Liam Fox warned against the premature withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan. He said such a move would destabilize Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan and allow the region to remain a sanctuary for Islamist extremists.
During a speech in London, Fox also said violence in Afghanistan was likely to increase in the coming months.

VOA


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera

The Life Story of A Distinguished And Outstanding Bhikkhu The Most Venerable Saradawpharagree Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera The Buddhist missionary Saradaw Ashin U Chandramani was endowed with great gifts and led a famous and long life. He was a very well known, distinguished and outstanding Bhikkhu Mahathera. While living in the Kushinagar Monastery, a place close to where the Lord Buddha had passed away to Nirvana, the Government of India had offered, and he had accepted, the highest, most honourable and respected title "Guru Guru MahaGuru". He became the first ever President of all Buddhists in India.A World Buddhist Conference took place in Kathmandu during the reign of King Mahindra of Nepal. The Conference was very well attended by over one hundred thousand Buddhists from various parts of the world and it was opened by King Mahindra himself. As requested by the King, Saradawpharagree blessed all the participants with the power of Triple Gems...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do...
1 comment
Read more

Three Dead, Seven Injured by Artillery Shells in Two Incidents in Myanmar’s Mrauk-U

By MIN AUNG KHINE 2 December 2019 Sittwe, Rakhine State –Three Mrauk-U township residents died and four others were injured when an artillery shell struck their community in the Ale Zay quarter of Mrauk-U town on Monday afternoon after 4 p.m. A month-old girl, a 4-year-old boy and a 30-year-old woman died, according to Dr. Khin Maung Yin, the head of Mrauk-U hospital. He said, “A man and three other women were injured. One of the women sustained severe injures to her left leg and her right knee was dislocated. The injured will be operated on.” Details of what occurred were not yet known. A few hours earlier, three civilians were injured when an artillery shell fell on the village of Na Leik in Mrauk-U Township, Rakhine State, western Myanmar, on Monday at around 1 p.m., according to Yan Aung Pyin village-tract administrator U Sein Hla Aung. Two females, aged 13 and 27, and an 18-year-old male were injured in the incident, he said. Three people were hit by shrapnel and we have...
Post a Comment
Read more