General John Allen has resigned from the United States armed forces on Tuesday, ending the Allen era in Afghanistan. General Allen was the commander of United States forces in Afghanistan. General Allen has been the lead man in Afghanistan since July 2011 when General Stanley McChrystal was relieved of duty by President Obama.

Allen's resignation means he will not be the supreme allied commander of NATO forces. Before his resignation, Allen was the front runner for that post. Allen was on the radar during the David Petraeus scandal. He was, however, later cleared by the Department of Defense.

The resignation was accepted by President Obama on Tuesday. The president also made the following statement. 

"Today, I met with General John Allen and accepted his request to retire from the military so that he can address health issues within his family. I told General Allen that he has my deep, personal appreciation for his extraordinary service over the last 19 months in Afghanistan, as well as his decades of service in the United States Marine Corps. General Allen presided over the significant growth in the size and capability of Afghan National Security Forces, the further degradation of al Qaeda and their extremist allies, and the ongoing transition to Afghan security responsibility across the country. He worked tirelessly to strengthen our coalition through his leadership of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and to improve our relations with the Afghan government. Above all, he cares deeply for the men and women in uniform who serve our nation – as well as their families – and I am grateful for the sacrifices made by his family in supporting him during his service. John Allen is one of America’s finest military leaders, a true patriot, and a man I have come to respect greatly. I wish him and his family the very best as they begin this new chapter, and we will carry forward the extraordinary work that General Allen led in Afghanistan."

 

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