US General John Nicholson appointed NATO Commander in Afghanistan

A US Senate Armed Services Committee has confirmed the nomination of General John Nicholson to the commander of the NATO forces in Afghanistan.
He will succeed outgoing commander US General John Campbell. His appointment comes at a time when serious concerns have been raised about the security situation in Afghanistan.

About John Nicholson

• Prior to this appointment, he was serving as US Army commander of NATO land forces (since October 2014). Previously he served as the commander of the 82nd Airborne Division.
• Earlier he had held several high-profile Army roles including chief of staff of operations for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and US Forces – Afghanistan.
• He also had served as director of Pakistan/Afghanistan Coordination Cell for the Joint Staff and Deputy Commander – Stability of ISAF Regional Command – South.

Background
Currently, there are around 10000 US troops in Afghanistan who advise local security forces and conduct counter-terrorism missions. They are part of NATO Training and Support mission which had replaced the US-NATO led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) combat mission after NATO had formally ended its war in Afghanistan in December 2014.

Month: Current Affairs - February, 2016