General David Petraeus formally assumed command of the 130,000-strong international force in Afghanistan on Sunday, declaring “we are in this to win” despite rising casualties and growing scepticism about the nearly nine-year-old war.
During a ceremony at Nato headquarters, Gen. Petraeus received two flags — one for the US and the other for Nato — marking his formal assumption of command.
He said it was important to demonstrate to the Afghan people and world that Al Qaeda and its extremist allies will not be allowed to once again establish sanctuaries in Afghanistan from which to launch attacks on the United States and other countries.
“We are in this to win,” Gen. Petraeus told a crowd of several hundred Nato and Afghan officials at the ceremony held on a grassy area just outside coalition headquarters. “We have arrived at a critical moment.”
Gen. Petraeus succeeded Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was fired last month for intemperate remarks he and his aides made to Rolling Stone magazine about Obama administration officials who were mostly on the civilian side.
“Upfront I also want to recognise the enormous contributions of my predecessor, Gen. Stanley McChrystal,” Gen. Petraeus said. He said the progress made reflects Gen. McChrystal’s “vision, energy and leadership.”
Gen. Petraeus said the change in command did not signal a radical shift in Gen. McChrystal’s strategy of making the protection of the Afghan people the focus of the military mission.
“Recent months in Afghanistan have seen hard fighting,” he said.
“As we press on in our vital mission, we must continue our efforts to reduce the loss of innocent civilians to an absolute minimum.”
But Gen. Petraeus said he would examine the policies “to determine where refinements might be needed.”
In a message to his troops, Gen. Petraeus said he would “not hesitate to bring all assets to bear to protect you and the Afghan forces with which you are fighting shoulder to shoulder.” That suggested he would review the rules under which Nato soldiers fight, including Gen. McChrystal’s curbs on the use of airpower and heavy weapons if civilians are at risk.
Troops have complained such restraint puts their own lives at risk and hands the battlefield advantage to the Taliban and their allies. Speaking before Gen. Petraeus, German Army Gen. Egon Ramms, commander for the Allied Joint Force Command, also praised the work of Gen. McChrystal, saying he took the coalition “forward at a very difficult time.”