US President George W. Bush nominated an Arab-American general to replace General Tommy Franks as commander of US forces in Iraq and elsewhere in a region that stretches from Egypt to Afghanistan, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
Lieutenant General John Abizaid, aged 52, has been serving since December as Franks' deputy in charge of US military operations in Iraq.
If confirmed by the Senate, Abizaid will take over Franks' responsibilities as commander of all US forces in the Central Command's area.
Franks is scheduled to retire next month, but no date has been set for the new commander to take over.
Abizaid, who is of Lebanese descent, 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 West Point graduate, his 30-year military career has spanned US actions from Grenada to Kosovo.
He has a distinguished military pedigree - as an infantry commander, commandant of the US Military Academy at West Point, and assistant to then chairman of the joint chiefs of staff General John Shalikashvili.
A native of Coleville, California, Abizaid is married with three children. (Albawaba.com)
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