A Pentagon investigation has cleared a former top US commander in Afghanistan of wrongdoing over a magazine article that portrayed him and his staff as taking a disparaging view of President Barack Obama and his national security team.
The Pentagon report released Monday concluded that General Stanley McChrystal did not violate the department's standards, and in some cases the events shown in the article could not be substantiated, dpa reported.
McChrystal was fired after being summoned to the White House shortly after the Rolling Stone article appeared. He was replaced by General David Petraeus, who still holds the post.
The Pentagon's inquiry included interviews with witnesses who did not acknowledge making the comments or even hearing the comments reported in the magazine.
The Rolling Stone article portrayed McChrystal of being critical of top Obama administration officials, including Vice President Joe Biden and the late special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, for their doubts about his war strategy. McChrystal at the time said he regretted the article. He retired from the military shortly after submitting his resignation.
Rolling Stone issued a statement criticizing the Pentagon's finding and standing behind the story titled, The Runaway General.
"The report by the Pentagon's inspector general offers no credible source or indeed, any named source contradicting the facts as reported in our story," the magazine said, adding that "Rolling Stone stands by our story, which is accurate in every detail."
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