President Barack Obama decided to relieve General Stanley McChrystal of his duties as Nato commander in Afghanistan over the comments that mocked the commander-in-chief, Vice-President Joe Biden and Richard Holbrooke published in a Rolling Stone Magazine article (read more details here). McChrystal will be replaced by General David Petraeus.

“I think it’s clear that the article in which he and his team appeared showed poor judgment,” Obama said. The 55 year-old General apologized for the remarks and submitted his resignation to the President. Obama had the chance to confront McChrystal before he made his decision.

Obama claims the decision to relieve McChrystal was not based on policy differences or a “personal insult,” but because “the conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general.”

McChrystal says in statement he resigned because of his “desire to see the mission succeed.”