Obama's Dismissal of Gen. McChrystal 'Not Personal'

US President Barack Obama (C) announces that General David Petraeus (R), former commander of US forces in Iraq, will replace US General Stanley McChrystal as top NATO commander in Afghanistan. Photo by EPA/BGNES

US President Barack Obama has said he did not dismiss ISAF Commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal because he felt insulted by the latter’s comments in the Rolling Stone magazine article.

Obama has pointed out that McChrystal was let go because his behavior did not meet the standards for a senior military officer, according to a White House source, as cited by BGNES.

Earlier on Wednesday, the US President accepted the resignation of the commander of the US and international forces in Afghanistan over the comments made in an article entitled “The Runaway General” of the Rolling Stone magazine.

McChrystal has been let go over an article in the Rolling Stone Magazine in top US military commanders in Afghanistan criticized senior administration officials, NBC reported.

McChrystal is said to have submitted a letter of resignation to US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, according to Fox News.

Obama had said General Stanley McChrystal, who was summoned to Washington over the Rolling Stone article, had shown "poor judgment." White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters the president was "angry."

In the article by Michael Hastings, entitled The Runaway General, Gen McChrystal is quoted saying his key enemies in the war in Afghanistan are "the wimps in the White House."

McChrystal has handed in his resignation after he was summoned to a meeting with Obama in Washington.

Obama has nominated the current Commander of the US Central Command David Petraeus, and former commander of the coalition forces in Iraq, to take over from McChrystal in Afghanistan.

A Spokesman of Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai has on the latter’s behalf that Karzai respects Obama’s decision even though he hoped for a different outcome, i.e. avoiding a dismissal of General McChrystal.

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