KABUL – A three-star general who leads the Joint Special Operations Commandoverseeing some of the most sensitive US commando missions has been pickedto lead the nearly 17-year-old Afghan war, five US officials told Reuters.

Army Lieutenant General Scott Miller would replace Army General John “Mick”Nicholson, who after more than two years has become the longest-serving UScommander of international forces battling the Taliban insurgency.

Nicholson was expected to serve through most if not all of the summermonths that historically have brought some of the heaviest fighting inAfghanistan, two of the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Pentagon declined to comment on Nicholson’s successor.

“We have no announcement on any changes,” said Pentagon spokesmanLieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner.

One US official familiar with Miller said his past service showed a focuson addressing global militant networks that fuel insurgencies, which couldbe valuable in the fight against Daesh in Afghanistan.

The change in command would come at a particularly sensitive time in theAfghan war, in which commanders are under pressure to show progress againsta resilient Taliban insurgency. Critics warn that the US-backed Afghanmilitary cannot promise to defeat the Taliban anytime soon or overcomeAfghanistan’s vast political divisions and entrenched corruption.