Gen. Stanley McChrystal may be forced to resign his post as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, after making inflammatory comments in a soon-to-be-published interview with Rolling Stone magazine.
The 55-year-old head of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan agreed to be interviewed for a profile that is featured in the magazine's upcoming issue, which hits newsstands Friday.
In an article titled "The Runaway General," which has already been posted on the magazine's website, McChrystal expresses frustration with members of the Obama administration and admits he is unable to convince some of his fellow soldiers that he can outline a winning strategy for the war.
McChrystal reveals that he was "disappointed" in his first meeting with Obama in the Oval Office last year, and says the two have failed to connect in the interim.
U.S. President Barack Obama has summoned McChrystal from Afghanistan to the Whitehouse, to meet with him face to face on Wednesday. Sources told The Associated Press that McChrystal has already prepared his resignation if he fails to keep his post.
"I think it's clear that the article in which he and his team appeared showed poor judgment," Obama told reporters. "But I also want to make sure that I talk to him directly before I make any final decision."
Earlier in the day, the White House described McChrystal's comments as an "enormous mistake," adding that "all options are on the table" regarding his job.
In the article, McChrystal also paints an unflattering portrait of his diplomatic partner, ambassador Karl Eikenberry. There had been public signs of a rift between Eikenberry, a former general himself, and McChrystal -- such as when they stood as far apart as possible during a White House news conference last month.
"Here's one that covers his flank for the history books," McChrystal told Rolling Stone. "Now, if we fail, they can say ‘I told you so.'"
In response to the new McChrystal interview, a spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Kabul has publicly stated that the two men "are fully committed to the president's strategy and to working together as one civilian-military team."
Blowback from the article led Duncan Boothby, McChrystal's civilian media adviser, to tender his resignation. Boothby had arranged the Rolling Stone interviews.
It also sparked statements of support from Afghan politicians and from NATO.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai indicated through a spokesperson Tuesday that he believes McChrystal is "the best commander that NATO and coalition forces have had in Afghanistan over the past nine years."
Ahmed Wali Karzai, the Afghan president's half-brother and a powerful figure in Kandahar, echoed that sentiment.
McChrystal "is the first good thing to happen to Afghanistan," he said. "He does a good job. A lot of positive things have happened since he has come."
The secretary-general of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, also said he backed the U.S. commander.
"The Rolling Stone article is rather unfortunate, but it is just an article," a statement issued from NATO's Belgium headquarters said. "We are in the middle of a very real conflict, and the secretary general has full confidence in Gen. McChrystal as the NATO commander, and in his strategy."
The controversy sent McChrystal into damage-control mode, saying that his comments were "a mistake reflecting poor judgment" that "should never have happened."
McChrystal took control of U.S. operations just over a year ago.
His predecessor, Gen. David McKiernan, was removed from Afghanistan halfway through his two-year assignment after calling for "new thinking and new approaches" in the war-torn country.
With files from The Associated Press
