The US Senate on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to approve the nomination of General David Petraeus as commander of international forces in Afghanistan, DPA reported.
Senators voted 99-0 in confirming Petraeus to replace General Stanley McChrystal, who was ousted last week following a magazine report critical of the White House.
Petraeus has been widely credited for turning around the war in Iraq and opening the way for the departure of US combat forces by the end of August. He was the top commander in Iraq before moving to chief of Central Command.
"The Senate's quick action and General Petraeus's unrivaled experience will ensure we do not miss a beat in our strategy to break the Taliban's momentum and build Afghan capacity," President Barack Obama said in a statement.
During pre-vote testimony on Tuesday, Petraeus said he was focused on closely coordinating the diplomatic and military efforts in Afghanistan and stood behind Obama's strategy.
McChrystal was summoned to Washington last week and removed from his post after the appearance of a Rolling Stone article in which he and his staff were critical of the White House and Obama's special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke.
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