Afghan general ousted over Obama criticism

US AFGHAN commander Stanley McChrystal was sacked by Barack Obama last night for publicly criticising the President.

Obama replaced him with Gen David Petraeus, who commands US forces in the Middle East and Asia.

After an Oval Office meeting with McChrystal, the under-fire general offered his resignation and Obama accepted it.

McChrystal was ordered back from Afghanistan yesterday by Obama to explain remarks he and aides made in a Rolling Stone magazine article that mocked and dismissed the Obama administration.

The President said he was certain it was the right decision for US national security and the future of the mission in Afghanistan.

He 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, defence secretary Robert Gates and admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, in the Rose Garden, President Obama said: “I believe it is the right decision for our national security.”

Obama hit several gracious notes about McChrystal and his service, saying he made the decision to sack him “with considerable regret”.

And yet, said he said the job in Afghanistan cannot be done now under McChrystal’s leadership, asserting the critical remarks from the general and his inner circle in the Rolling Stone magazine article displayed conduct that does not live up to the necessary standards for a command-level officer.

Obama had already rebuked him for “poor judgment” in the most extraordinary airing of US military-civilian tensions since Harry Truman stripped General Douglas MacArthur of his command half a century ago.

McChrystal said last night he offered his resignation out of his desire to see the mission in Afghanistan succeed.

He spoke just minutes after President Obama announced he was dismissing him.

Obama seemed to suggest McChrystal’s military career was over, including in his praise of the general that the nation should be grateful “for his remarkable career in uniform”.

A senior military official said there is no immediate decision about whether McChrystal would retire from the army, which has been his entire career.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly.

McChrystal said he strongly supported Obama’s strategy and remained deeply committed to the coalition forces, partner nations and the Afghan people and – in the general’s own words – had a “desire to see the mission succeed”.

General Petraeus has been McChrystal’s boss, overseeing the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq from central command.

Before that, he led President George Bush’s surge of troops into Iraq that was credited with turning that war around.

Last week, there was concern about General Petraeus when he fainted while testifying at a Senate hearing about the war in Afghanistan.

It was put down to jet-lag and dehydration.