NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen had on Tuesday backed the alliance's commander in Afghanistan, amid a storm over an interview in which McChrystal criticised the White House.

"We are in the middle of a very real conflict, and the Secretary General has full confidence in General McChrystal as the NATO commander, and in his strategy," Rasmussen's spokesman had said.

But on Wednesday US President Barack Obama decided such insubordination could not be tolerated and McChrystal duly resigned.

Rasmussen swiftly sought to assure that McChrystal's strategy would survive his departure.

"While he will no longer be the commander, the approach he helped put in place is the right one. The strategy continues to have NATO's support, and our forces will continue to carry it out." Rasmussen stressed in a statement.

"The Afghan people should have no doubt that we will continue to carry out our mission in partnership with them," he added.

In private, several NATO delegations in Brussels had expected McChrystal's removal, deeming his position untenable after Rolling Stone magazine published an interview in which he and his aides derided top administration officials and spoke dismissively of Obama.

However there was regret that he had been left with no choice but to go just because of some ill-judged remarks to a reporter.

German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told German television that McChrystal was "a guarantor of the new strategy in Afghanistan," before the announcement of the US general's resignation.

Zu Guttenberg warned that NATO forces were facing a "very tough summer" and that the alliance needed steady leadership during a potentially very bloody period.

The US president faced a dilemma as McChrystal was the architect of a new strategy that included a surge of 40,000 extra troops in the war-torn country.

"You're faced with the problem that if you sack him you're going to sack the mastermind behind the new strategy in Afghanistan, so you'd be facing the argument that you're weakening the effort," a NATO diplomat said.

"If you don't sack him then you're being OK with the general criticising the political leadership. So you're damned if you do, damned if you don't," the diplomat said.

Another diplomat said McChrystal's departure meant the loss of an excellent general during a moment that is not at all easy in Afghanistan".

"We fear that it would leave a void," the diplomat added.

The scandal arose at a delicate time for the alliance, which is hoping to take back the initiative in the war against the Taliban with its new counter-insurgency strategy.

McChrystal's plan seeks to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan population and pave the way for the transfer of security responsibilities to the Afghan army and police.

The ultimate goal is to begin the drawdown of international troops. The NATO mission counts around 120,000 soldiers from 45 countries.

"The question is whether Washington really supports the General McChrystal's counter-insurgency strategy or not," said a NATO military official, who requested anonymity.

"If there is a real disagreement on the strategy to follow between the commander of ISAF and the US executive branch, this could pose a problem for the future, particularly for US allies in Afghanistan," the official said.

McChrystal's hastily named replacement, General David Petraeus, will have to deal with that one.

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News