Top U.S. military officer visits Afghanistan after McChrystal's ouster

By the CNN Wire Staff

June 26, 2010 -- Updated 1156 GMT (1956 HKT)



Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- America's top military officer was in Afghanistan on Saturday in a scheduled visit that took on new significance after Gen. Stanley McChrystal was removed from his position this week as commander of the Afghan war.
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen has said that he plans to discuss the shift in leadership with Afghan military and civilian officials.
"My message will be clear: nothing changes about our strategy, nothing changes about the mission and nothing changes about the resources we are dedicating or the commitment we are making to defeat al Qaeda and its extremist allies in the region," Mullen said in a Pentagon press briefing Thursday.
"We cannot lose the momentum we have together with our partners, allies and friends."
Mullen's visit comes after President Barack Obama relieved McChrystal of command Wednesday, a day after Rolling Stone published critical comments about top White House officials by members of McChrystal's staff. On Thursday, Obama tapped Gen. David Petraeus for the post.
An explosion near the Foreign Ministry in Kabul during Mullen's visit Saturday caused a scare, but police said the blast was an accident and not an attack.

Mullen was scheduled to travel to Pakistan after his Afghanistan visit, where he planned to meet with civilian and miltiary leaders.
On Thursday, he said that he was "stunned" and nearly "physically sick" when he read the Rolling Stone story, and that he agreed with Obama's decision to remove McChrystal.
Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, a Taliban commander disguised as a woman was shot dead Friday night in Afghanistan when he fired at troops, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.
Authorities identified the man as Ghulam Sakhi, the senior Taliban commander in northern Logar province.
ISAF said intelligence sources tracked Sakhi to a compound near the village of Qal-eh Saber in Pul-e 'Alam district.
After Afghan troops called for women and children to leave a building, Sakhi came out with the group, disguised in women's attire.
ISAF said he pulled out a pistol and a grenade and fired at troops. Afghan and coalition forces shot him and he dropped the grenade, which detonated and wounded a woman and two children.
Authorities say Sakhi was involved in improvised explosive device attacks, ambushes and indirect fire attacks. He also kidnapped and killed a National Directorate of Security chief in Logar province.

In other Afghan fighting, several insurgents in Zabul province were killed in a "precision airstrike" on Friday night and bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan killed three NATO-led service member on Saturday.

CNN's Atia Abawi contributed to this report.

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