David McKiernan

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White House Piles on Rummy Over Afghan Troop Gripe

'You go to war with the defense sec you have'

(Newser) - Donald Rumsfeld would prefer President Obama not disparage the previous administration by suggesting it ignored troop requests by US commanders in Afghanistan, as he did in Tuesday’s speech. That’s a “bald misstatement,” the former defense secretary says in a statement. “At least as it pertains...

Iraq PM Influenced Obama Torture Photo Decision

(Newser) - “Heavy pressure” from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki helped convince President Obama to oppose the release of Abu Ghraib torture photos sought by the ACLU, McClatchy reports. “Baghdad will burn,” Maliki reportedly told military officials. The administration cited objections from generals as the reason for the change...

Gates: Obama's Most Effective Secretary
Gates: Obama's Most Effective Secretary
Analysis
May 15, 2009 8:28 AM CDT

Gates: Obama's Most Effective Secretary

Republican holdover provides political cover on tough calls

(Newser) - Keeping Robert Gates as secretary of defense is starting to look like Barack Obama’s shrewdest personnel move, argues Gerald Seib in the Wall Street Journal. As someone appointed by the last two Republican presidents, Gates “brought to the table a credibility that no Obama appointee would have had,...

Sacked Commander Wrong for New Afghan Strategy

McKiernan's approach in Afghanistan too 'conventional,' officials say

(Newser) - David McKiernan was dumped as top American commander in Afghanistan yesterday, after less than a year, because his approach was too “conventional,” Pentagon officials tell the New York Times. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said “fresh eyes were needed” and “a new approach was probably in our...

US to Replace Afghan Commander

(Newser) - Gen. David McKiernan will be replaced as chief of NATO’s Afghan mission by Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, a former special ops officer, ABC News reports. McKiernan has held his post for just 11 months, and it is unclear where he will go. The move, to be announced at a...

US Bolsters Command in Afghanistan

Gates deploying top brass as part of structural overhaul of Afghan campaign

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to dispatch three-star general David M. Rodriguez to Kabul to shore up military leadership, the Wall Street Journal reports.  Military officials say the move—along with the creation of a new task force—is aimed at ensuring "the Pentagon is on a war...

NATO Chief OKs Attacks on Afghan Drug Producers

(Newser) - NATO's top commander has authorized coalition troops “to attack directly drug producers and facilities throughout Afghanistan,” saying they “are inextricably linked to the Opposing Military Forces,” Der Spiegel reports. The order from US General John Craddock is not going over well with commanders on the ground....

In Afghanistan, Biden Meets Troops, General, Prez

VP-elect thanks soldiers for 'big, big' work

(Newser) - Joe Biden got word today in Afghanistan that thousands of new American troops expected in the country's south will need more helicopters and other support to beat back surging Taliban violence, the AP reports. Biden and Sen. Lindsey Graham met with the head of the NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, Gen....

Top General: 'We Will Win' in Afghanistan

McKiernan aims to defuse concerns about region

(Newser) - As concerns mount about the situation in Afghanistan, the top US commander there asserted that America and its allies are winning against the Taliban, the New York Times reports. There have been “too many” reports suggesting the contrary, and “I absolutely reject that idea, I don’t believe...

US Airstrike Killed 30 Afghan Civilians: Inquiry

Outraged Afghans still maintain 90 died in controversial Aug. raid

(Newser) - A US military inquiry puts the number of Afghan civilians killed in an August 22 raid at more than 30, the New York Times reports, down from the 90 the Afghan government had claimed. The airstrike on Azizabad, a suspected Taliban stronghold, was condemned by the Afghan government. The US...

Afghanistan Commander Calls for More Troops, Now

US General appeals for political support, manpower

(Newser) - The top US commander in Afghanistan today asked for more troops, as well as additional political and economic aid, "as quickly as possible" to combat a growing influx of foreign insurgents in the country, the AP reports. The fight against Islamic militants is going to get harder before it...

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