Senate confirms Afghan chief - The Hill

The Senate on Thursday signed off on President Obama's nominee to take over command of troops in Afghanistan.  

Lt. Gen. John "Mick" Nicholson was confirmed by unanimous consent after Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who chairs the Armed Services Committee, had previously pledged to get his nomination moved to the Senate floor this week.

The move comes as the Obama administration is under increasing pressure to once again reconsider its Afghanistan withdrawal plan over concerns about a resurgent Taliban and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) spreading into the country. 

Nicholson has pledged to make a recommendation on troop levels within his first few months on the job, telling lawmakers last month that he expects to have a "good sense of where we are building on the experience" within his first 90 days. 

Republicans, and some Democrats, argue that the president should reconsider that strategy, suggesting troop levels should be based on conditions in Afghanistan and not what they view as an arbitrary timeline. - Read More

Senate confirms Afghan chief