US President George W. Bush is expected to announce next week the replacement of the top US general in the Middle East, John Abizaid, and the senior general in Iraq, George Casey. Gen Abizaid, 55, Commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) comprising the Middle East, who in December announced he would retire in early 2007, would be replaced by Admiral William Fallon, the Commander of the US Pacific Command, said ABC quoting US officials.
Gen Casey, 58, who is not expected to step down before June, would be replaced by General David Petraeus, 54, Commander of the Multi-National Security Transition Command in Iraq, the television channel said. The changes are expected to be made public next week before Mr Bush announces his new strategy for Iraq. "The president wants a clean sweep,'' an unidentified US official said on ABC.
Gen Abizaid went from No.2 to head of CENTCOM in July 2003, after Saddam Hussein was overthrown in Iraq three months earlier. In mid-November, Gen Abizaid told a congressional hearing that increasing US troop levels was not the solution to Iraq's problems. |