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U.S. Senate approves Obama's pick to lead troops in Afghanistan

Xinhua, February 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

A U.S. Senate committee on Thursday approved U.S. President Barack Obama's pick to lead U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan.

After the approval by the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John Nicholson was set to replace Army Gen. John Campbell, who has served as commander in Afghanistan since the middle of 2014 and was expected to finish his tour around March 1.

During his testimony to the Senate committee last week, Nicholson told U.S. lawmakers that he planned to review a plan that would cut U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan by almost half by the end of 2016.

Currently, there are 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan who advise local security forces and conduct counter-terrorism missions.

In a major departure from his promise to bring all U.S. troops home before leaving office, Obama announced last October he would keep 5,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan into 2017 and maintain the current 9,800 forces through "most of 2016."

Nicholson currently commands NATO's Allied Land Command, and had held several high-profile Army roles, including the commanding officer for the 82nd Airborne Division, and deputy commanding general for operations in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2012. Endit