The top US military officer said today Afghan war strategy was on track and that the newly named commander would aim to meet President Barack Obama's goal to start withdrawing troops in July 2011.
But Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, cautioned that challenges ahead remained formidable for Central Command chief David Petraeus, who Mr Obama chose yesterday to replace disgraced General Stanley McChrystal as the top US and Nato commander in Afghanistan.
"The strategy hasn't changed and the policy hasn't changed and we are very focused on the time between now and July 2011," Admiral Mullen said of the timeline set by Mr Obama to begin a gradual withdrawal of US forces, conditions permitting.
"We don't know the pace and we don't know the place," he said, adding a lot can change between now and July 2011.
Admiral Mullen said Gen Petraeus, architect of the Iraq war turnaround, was fully supportive of Obama's policies in Afghanistan.
Gen McChrystal was forced out after comments, mostly attributed to aides, appeared in a magazine profile that mocked some of Mr Obama's closest advisers. The profile portrayed him as a derring-do soldier sometimes exasperated by politicians.
Afghanistan's US-backed government expressed regret at the removal of Gen McChrystal, who is credited with reducing civilian casualties in the war against the Taliban.
"We wish he hadn't gone but this is America's internal issue," said a spokesman for the Afghan defense ministry.
The war has reached a critical stage in Afghanistan, despite the presence of about 140,000 foreign troops, with the Taliban at its strongest since being overthrown in 2001.
June already has been the costliest month in casualties for foreign forces, with the deaths of four service members in a vehicle accident late on Wednesday bringing the toll to 79.
More than 300 foreign troops have died in Afghanistan this year, compared with 521 for all of last year, according to icasualties.org. Scores more insurgents have died but hundreds of civilians also have been killed - most in Taliban bombings, but many too in cross-fire or misdirected air strikes.
With the Taliban virtually bringing tens of thousands of foreign troops to a bloody stalemate, Afghanistan has been seeking ways to bring an end to nearly nine years of fighting.
Reuters