Pentagon: No Decision on Petraeus Exit
AFP reports:
The Pentagon said no decision has been made on when General David Petraeus will leave his post as US commander in Afghanistan, after a British newspaper reported he would step down this year.
Responding to an account in The Times, press secretary Geoff Morrell said Petraeus would eventually leave his command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) but there were no firm plans yet.
"Despite some sensational speculation by one of the London papers, I can assure you General Petraeus is not quitting as ISAF commander, but nor does he plan to stay in Afghanistan forever," Morrell said in a statement.
"Obviously he will rotate out at some point, but that point has not yet been determined and it will not occur anytime soon. Until then, he will continue to ably lead our coalition forces in Afghanistan."
The Washington Post meanwhile also reported that Petraeus -- as well as his deputy commander General David Rodriguez -- were widely expected to step down by the end of the year.
Petraeus, the most well-known officer in the American military, has often been mentioned as a leading candidate to succeed Admiral Mike Mullen as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- whose term as the US military's top officer ends in September.
Stepping down in the fall would allow Petraeus to oversee the start of a planned troop withdrawal in July, and would coincide with the expected departure of other senior figures in the war effort, including the defense secretary, Robert Gates, and the US ambassador in Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry.
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