Senate approves ambassador to Afghanistan, 9 others

The Senate approved a new ambassador to Afghanistan and nine more of President Obama's nominees before heading out for the summer recess Thursday evening. 

James Cunningham, the current deputy ambassador in Kabul, replaces Ryan Crocker, who is stepping down after serving just one year, citing health reasons. The Senate also approved new ambassadors to Ghana, Liberia, the Marshall Islands, Zimbabwe, Oman, Guinea, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Serbia.

The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen, welcomed the appointment in a statement Friday.

"On behalf of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, I offer our congratulations to Ambassador Cunningham on his confirmation as the new Ambassador to Afghanistan," Allen said. "I am honored to continue working with the ambassador in his new position as he helps build the strategic partnership between the U.S. and Afghanistan that will ultimately strengthen Afghan sovereignty, security and prosperity."

Cunningham's appointment comes at a critical time, as U.S. forces begin to withdraw from Afghanistan after 11 years of war. He'll also be responsible for overseeing preparations for the 2014 elections, which the United States sees as a crucial test of whether the country can function without U.S. support.

“Ultimately,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) said at Cunningham's confirmation hearing this week, “it is the political transition that will determine whether our military gains are sustainable, and the strength and quality of the Afghan state we leave behind will be determined by that political transition.”

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