Pentagon to appoint new US commander for Afghanistan

The Pentagon is all set to name Lieutenant General Austin "Scott" Miller as the next commander of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan.

Miller will replace current Commander General John Nicholson, the Hill reported, citing senior military officers telling the Wall Street Journal.

Gen. Nicholson has been in charge of the 17-year-old Afghan war since March 2016.

According to the report, Miller has spent the last two years in charge of the military's Joint Special Operations Command, which oversees the elite Special Mission Units. Those units include the Navy's SEAL Team Six and the Army's Delta Force, which perform highly classified activities.

Throwing more light on his credentials, the report states that he was a captain and ground force commander in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, and was honoured a Bronze Star for his actions there.

Last year, US President Donald Trump revealed his new plan for Afghanistan, which includes sending about 4,000 additional troops to the war-torn South Asian country.

It is pertinent to mention that Miller will be the first commander of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan appointed under Trump.