McChrystal cleared by Pentagon inquiry

General Stanley McChrystal, the former commander of US forces in Afghanistan who was sacked after giving a controversial interview to Rolling Stone magazine last year, has been cleared of any wrongdoing by a Pentagon inquiry.

The article quoted General McChrystal as saying he felt betrayed by the US ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, and did not want to open an email from special envoy Richard Holbrooke. The General was also described as laughing at a mention of Vice-President Joe Biden, saying: "Who's that?"

The Pentagon report raised doubts about the accuracy and context of these details, ruling that the evidence available did not suggest that General McChrystal had violated any legal or ethical standards. The inquiry carried out interviews with eyewitnesses and reviewed an unpublished army investigation into the events.

Shortly after the feature's publication last June, President Barack Obama called General McChrystal to the White House and dismissed him, saying he had fallen short of "the standard that should be set by a commanding general". He was replaced by General David Petraeus.

Rolling Stone issued a statement saying it stood by the story, calling it "accurate in every detail" and drawing attention to General McChrystal's apology at the time as evidence that he indeed made the comments.