Petraeus voices unity on Afghanistan

WASHINGTON - General David Petraeus, slated to head US and international forces in Afghanistan, said Tuesday the military and diplomatic effort in the country are united behind President Barack Obama’s strategy for defeating the Taliban.

Petraeus appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is considering his nomination to replace General Stanley McChrystal, who left his position after he and his staff made comments in a magazine critical of the White House.

“We are all firmly united in seeking to forge unity of effort,” Petraeus said.

Petraeus, currently head of US Central Command, which oversees military operation in the region, said he backs Obama’s July 2011 timeframe for transitioning security to Afghan security forces.

“We must also help our Afghan partners develop their security forces and governance capacity so that they can, over time, take on the tasks of securing their country and seeing to the needs of their people,” Petraeus said.

The Senate is expected to confirm Petraeus to the new post. He is widely credited for reining in the violence in Iraq while heading US forces there before moving to chief of Central Command.

McChrystal was hastily recalled to Washington last week after a story appeared in Rolling Stone magazine containing remarks from his staff critical of the White House and the diplomatic effort. Some of that criticism was directed at Richard Holbrooke, Obama’s special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.