Newly retired general David Petraeus was sworn in as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director on Tuesday, taking over at a time when the line between the United States (US) spy agency and the military has become increasingly blurred in the fight against Islamist militancy.
Petraeus, who, in his 37-year army career, rose to become arguably the US military’s brightest star, took the oath of office at a White House ceremony led by Vice President Joe Biden. President Barack Obama enlisted Petraeus to take over at the CIA as part of a major shuffle of his national security team that included Leon Panetta moving from CIA chief to defence secretary as successor to the retiring Robert Gates.
Petraeus is credited with helping to turn around the Iraq war and also set in motion Obama’s revamped strategy in Afghanistan aimed at halting the momentum of the Taliban insurgency and laying the groundwork for a gradual US troop drawdown. Petraeus takes over at the CIA less than a week before the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington that drew the US into a protracted fight against al Qaeda and its Islamist allies. Petraeus, 58, was in a civilian business suit for his first day as head of the CIA, considered the top echelon among an array of US intelligence services.
