General David Petraeus is officially head of Central Command

[Farnan]

General David Petraeus, the former commander of US forces in Iraq, has taken charge of the US military's Central Command.

Petraeus, 55, will now oversee US forces in the Middle East, east Africa and Central Asia after being sworn in at a ceremony at the centre's headquarters in Tampa, Florida, on Friday.

Presiding over the ceremony, Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, praised Petraeus as "the pre-eminent soldier-scholar-statesman of his generation and precisely the man we need at this command at this time".

"Under his leadership, our troops have dealt our enemies in Iraq a tremendous blow. Now, he will take aim at our adversaries in Afghanistan," he said.

Although Iraq, where Petraeus is widely credited with improving security, will still warrant his attention, the conflict on the Afghan-Pakistan border is likely to be the greatest challenge in his new role.

Balancing act

Some experts say Petaeus will continue the strategy he used in Iraq of balancing military action with diplomacy on the broader stage.

"He would rather [problems] be resolved diplomatically ... but he's a person who's not afraid to use violence," Mark Perry, a military analyst, told Al Jazeera.

"When there is a real threat to Americans, I think the military won't hesitate to strike."

Petraeus said at the Tampa ceremony: "From trans-national extremist organisations and industrial-strength insurgencies to weapons proliferation, a rise in piracy and persistent ethno-sectarian conflict, the Centcom [Central Command] area contains innumerable challenges.

"Addressing these challenges requires comprehensive approaches that employ the whole of our government's capabilities," he said, alluding to a need to more fully involve the US state department and other governmental agencies.

"This is necessary not just to resolve pressing short-term issues, but to address, over time, the underlying conditions that give rise to such serious security challenges," he said.

Afghan war

The four-star general is set to leave on Saturday to visit the regions now under his command.

Petraeus's most pressing tasks include trying to improve US fortunes in the war in Afghanistan and dealing with pro-Taliban and al-Qaeda forces across the border in Pakistan.

He will also have to balance troop cuts in Iraq while meeting US commanders' requests to deploy more forces to Afghanistan.

Petraeus did three tours of duty in Iraq as commander of the 101st Airborne Division and later spent more than a year heading a programme to train Iraqi security forces.

The army general, who holds a doctorate in international relations from Princeton University, was approached for the role after Navy Admiral William Fallon stepped down hastily last March.

Fallon quit after Esquire magazine published an article painting him as the lone US administration voice against conducting military action in Iran.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/am...012154658.html

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/1...traeus_103108/

This is one of the most important people in the US right now. Whoever wins the election on Tuesday will lean on him when making their decisions about Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I know that General Petraeus has discussed the possibility of trying to peel away more moderate factions within the Taliban and I think talking to our commanders on the ground and based on sound intelligence, if we can peel off some support from the hard core militants that are aligned with al Qaeda, that would be beneficial," Obama said. "I don’t think that we necessarily are the best intermediary in that kind of discussion and I’d want to see some proof, some evidence that in fact there are aspects of the Taliban that are susceptible to reasonable dialogue…. if I am the president elect to have some very rapid discussions with General Petraeus who I think has done a very good job in Iraq. I want to get his assessment and I would want to see some evidence that in fact the possibility of that model working existed in Afghanistan."

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/...fixing_ec.html