Gen. John Allen, the top American and NATO commander in Afghanistan, is under investigation for what a senior defense official said early Tuesday was "inappropriate communication'' with Jill Kelley. In a statement released to reporters on his plane en route to Australia early Tuesday, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said that the F.B.I. had informed him on Sunday of its investigation of General Allen. General Allen told Pentagon officials he had done nothing wrong.
Although General Allen will remain the commander in Afghanistan, Mr. Panetta said that he had asked President Obama to put on hold General Allen's nomination to be the commander of American forces in Europe and the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. General Allen is now in Washington for what was to be his confirmation hearing as commander in Europe. That hearing will now be delayed.
| Erdogan of Turkey has stripped the top levels of the army of anyone who shows signs of old-fashioned guarding Turkey's secularism, Morsi is starting to do the same in Egypt. A paranoid Might wonderif the same kind of thing is happening here -- it's not been long since General McChrystal was summarily booted out for speaking his mind to that Rolling Stone reporter. |
| Erdogan will discover as Stalin did that armies are led, not ordered. If you remove or execute your best generals then your army won't fight very well. Stalin had his Finland, and Erdogan may yet have his Syria. |
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