The U.S. military's top officer assured Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday that the new NATO commander will pursue the same war strategy crafted by Gen. Stanley McChrystal _ the ousted general whom Karzai warmly praised for training Afghan security forces and reducing civilian casualties, according to AP. Adm. Mike Mullen visited Afghanistan three days after President Barack Obama accepted the resignation of McChrystal, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces. Afghan leaders and U.S. allies in the war worried his firing could disrupt the counterinsurgency strategy at a critical juncture in the war, but were relieved to learn that his replacement would be Gen. David Petraeus, McChrystal's boss who help author the plan. During their meeting, Karzai lauded McChrystal, saying he was able to «reduce civilian casualties, create good cooperation between the Afghan and international forces and strengthen and develop the Afghan forces,» according to a statement from the Afghan presidential palace. Karzai welcomed Obama's decision to appoint Petraeus, a man he said had a wealth of experience and knowledge about the situation in Afghanistan, the statement said. Mullen, who later traveled to neighboring Pakistan, assured Karzai that Petraeus would also do his best to reduce civilian casualties, bolster cooperation among the forces and train Afghan police and soldiers. -- SPA
