The U.S. Senate Thursday confirmed General David Petraeus as the country's top military commander in the Middle East.
Lawmakers
voted 95 - 2 to make General Petraeus the new leader of the U.S.
Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East,
East Africa and Central Asia.
The Senate is expected to approve
the nomination of Lt. General Raymond Odierno to replace Petraeus as
the top U.S. commander in Iraq.
General Petraeus helped quell
growing disapproval of the war in Iraq by providing Congress with
progress reports and warning that the sudden withdrawal of U.S. troops
could plunge Iraq into chaos and reverse progress that had been made.
During
his confirmation hearings in May, General Petraeus said he expected to
recommend further troop withdrawals before leaving his post in
September.
The recommendation would follow a 45-day assessment period over coming months.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
