U.S. General David Petraeus
U.S. General David Petraeus testifies at his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing to become commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan on Capitol Hill in Washington June 29, 2010. REUTERS

The Senate voted unanimously 94-0 to confirm General David Petraeus, the top American commander in Afghanistan to be the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Petraeus, 58, a four-star general was nominated by President Barack Obama to lead replace outgoing CIA director Leon Panetta who is leaving the agency to become the Pentagon chief.

During his nomination hearing, Petraeus said he supports Obama’s decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan saying it was a “more aggressive formulation than he recommended to the president.

Petraeus became the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan a year ago. Previously he had been in charge of U.S. Central Command for two years, overseeing Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen.

Many have credited Petraeus with turning around the Iraq war and saving the country from a major sectarian conflict.

Barack obama Pakistan Iraq Central Intelligence Agency