NEW YORK: A career military officer Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry who is set to retire soon from the Army has been tapped to become the next U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, according to a U.S. daily.
Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry has served in Afghanistan twice, including an 18-month tour that ended in 2007, and knows the issues facing the troubled country and the players well.
An Obama administration official spoke to the U.S. daily on the condition of anonymity because Eikenberry’s appointment had not been made public.
The newspaper reported that the general has consistently spotted problems in Afghanistan early and issued some of the first warnings about a resurgent Taliban.
He also championed building a strong Afghan army to combat the Taliban, a top priority for the White House.
Eikenberry has also warned repeatedly that the U.S. cannot win in Afghanistan and defeat global terrorism without doing something about al-Qaida fighters holed up in neighboring Pakistan.