Obama relieves McChrystal of his duties; names Petraeus as replacement

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Gen. David Petraeus to replace Stanley McChrystal as commander in Afghanistan

With Stanley McChrystal's resignation, General Petraeus moves from overseeing all U.S. forces in the Middle East to running operations in Afghanistan.

» LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY

But in Kabul, Afghan President Hamid Karzai cautioned Obama against replacing the commander of the U.S. and NATO war effort.

In a video conference call with Obama on Tuesday night, Karzai said "that we are in a very sensitive juncture in our partnership and our war on terror," Karzai spokesman Waheed Omer said in a news conference Wednesday. "Any gaps in this process would not be helpful."

During the call, Obama told Karzai that he would not rush to a decision on whether to fire McChrystal, Omer said.

Later, after Obama announced the removal of McChrystal, Afghan officials said they were saddened and disappointed to see him go, but they took heart from the nomination of Petraeus to replace him. Omer said Afghan leaders view Petraeus as "another trusted partner."

In Washington, the move promptly won bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. In a statement, House Republican leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) expressed admiration for McChrystal but said, "I respect the decision of our commander in chief."

The furor erupted on Tuesday after the Rolling Stone magazine profile of McChrystal, titled "The Runaway General," started circulating.

Aides quoted anonymously in the article accused Obama of being uninformed and disengaged during his first solo meeting with the general, in spring 2009. And they described Karzai as being "locked up in his palace this past year" and out of the loop, even as the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan relied on making the Afghan government a strong and credible partner.

The controversy over the article comes amid a U.S. troop surge requested by McChrystal and a spike in NATO casualties that has raised alarm in Washington and NATO capitals.

On Wednesday, NATO announced that two American troops died the day before in bombings in southern Afghanistan, where the radical Islamist Taliban movement has stepped up attacks as the U.S.-led international force has attempted to wrest control of their strongholds.

So far this month, at least 59 NATO troops, including 43 U.S. service members, have been killed in Afghanistan. That means June is on pace to become the deadliest month for NATO troops in the nearly nine-year war.

Londoño reported from Kabul. Karin Brulliard in Islamabad and Javed Hamdard in Kabul contributed to this report.