A three-star US army general of Arab descent has been formally nominated as a deputy commander of US forces in the Gulf amidst preparations for a possible war on Iraq, defense officials said Tuesday.
The Pentagon said Army Lieutenant General John Abizaid, who is currently director of the Joint Staff, was nominated to the post of deputy commander of the US Central Command by US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Abizaid, who will be based in the Gulf, will be sharing the duties of deputy commander with Marine Lieutenant General Michael DeLong, who works out of the Central Command's headquarters in Florida, the officials said, cited by AFP.
Abizaid's responsibilities will be focused on US and coalition forces massing in the Gulf for a possible war with Iraq, a defense official said, requesting anonymity.
Abizaid, whose ancestors came to America from Lebanon, is believed to be the highest ranking Arab-American officer in the US military, defense officials stated.
In addition, he is an expert in Arabic affairs with a Masters degree in Middle Eastern studies from Harvard.
He speaks Arabic, studied at the University of Jordan in Amman and served as an operations officer with a UN Observer Group in Lebanon.
A native of Coleville, California, Abizaid is married with three children. (Albawaba.com)
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