Afghanistan - A NATO spokesman stressed Sunday that military operations in Afghanistan are on track despite the ouster of the top commander in the war and mounting casualties. NATO and US forces are continuing their operations as they await the arrival of new commander Gen. David Petraeus. He is taking over from Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was ousted by President Barack Obama after he and his aides were quoted in Rolling Stone magazine making disparaging remarks about top Obama administration officials. There has been concern that the leadership shake-up will further slow a push into the volatile south that has already been delayed by weeks in some areas and months in others. But NATO spokesman Brig. Josef Blotz told reporters in Kabul that the worries are unwarranted and the military is not pausing because of the changes. "We will not miss a beat in our operations to expand security here in Afghanistan," Blotz said, repeating the assurances of many diplomats in recent days that the change in leadership does not mean a re-evaluation of policy or a strategy shift. The top American military officer, Adm. Mike Mullen, flew to Afghanistan on Saturday to assure President Hamid Karzai that Petraeus would pursue the policies of his predecessor, including efforts to reduce civilian casualties. Blotz said Petraeus was expected in Kabul in the next 7-10 days. Operations appear to be continuing apace, according to NATO statements. Two recent air strikes in the north, east and south killed at least nine militants, including two local Taliban commanders, NATO and Afghan officials said. No civilians were injured, NATO said. Eight other militants were killed in a NATO-Afghan military operation in eastern Ghazni province, according to Gen. Khail Buz Sherzai, the provincial police chief. Violence also has been on an upswing in the always-volatile south in recent weeks, with deaths reported daily. In the latest incident, a U.S. service member was killed in a bomb attack in the south, said Col. Wayne Shanks, a U.S. forces spokesman. June has become the deadliest month of the war for NATO troops with at least 91 killed, 54 of them American. For U.S. troops, the deadliest month was October 2009, with a toll of 59 dead. Blotz said the deaths do show that the fight is getting harder in Afghanistan, but said that does not affect NATO's resolve. "We are in the arena. There is no way out now. We have to stay on. We have to fight this campaign," he said. Blotz said about 130 middle- to senior-level Taliban insurgents have been killed or captured in the past four months.
