A New Commander For NATO Forces In Afghanistan

Marine Gen. John Allen, commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. (D. Myles Cullen / Department of Defense / August 20, 2012)

Change Of U.S. Command Expected In Afghanistan -- L.A. Times

The White House plans to nominate Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. to replace Gen. John Allen, who has directed NATO forces in Afghanistan since mid-2011.

WASHINGTON – The top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan is being transferred and another Marine general will take over the war effort early next year as the United States and its allies shrink their combat role against the still-potent insurgency.

The White House plans to nominate Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, to replace Gen. John Allen, who has directed U.S. and other foreign forces in Afghanistan since mid-2011, officials said.

Although Allen is not being forced out, "the president wants somebody who can take a fresh look at the effort in Afghanistan and isn't an architect of the current strategy," said David Barno, a retired Army general who headed the war in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005 and now is a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington think tank.

Read more ....

My Comment: General Allen is being politely shoved aside ....  and another sign that the situation in Afghanistan is not improving and President Obama now wants someone new to look at the situation differently. What's my take .... the faces may change on the ground but the conflict continues, and the person who is ultimately responsible for the U.S. presence and policy in Afghanistan (President Obama) .... he is still there and I suspect that (if the polls are accurate) .... will still be there next year. As to what are the Taliban thinking with this change in leadership .... this is just more evidence for them that they are winning.