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Bush eyes new Iraq strategy
05/01/2007 08:41 - (SA)
Washington - President George W Bush is replacing top figures responsible for carrying out his military and diplomatic strategies in Iraq as he prepares to outline a new direction for the war that has raged for nearly four years.
Bush will replace General John P Abizaid, the top US commander in the Middle East, and General George Casey, the chief general in Iraq, in the coming weeks, according to media reports on Thursday. A revamping of the administration's national security team was already under way.
Bush wants to replace Abizaid with Admiral William Fallon, the top US commander in the Pacific, and Casey's replacement will be Army Lieutenant General David Petraeus, who headed the effort to train Iraqi security forces, the reports citing administration officials said.
Giving Fallon and Petraeus the top military posts in the Middle East would help Bush to assert that he is taking a fresh approach in the region and help pave the way for him to turn policy there in a new direction. Both Abizaid and Casey have expressed reservations about the potential effectiveness of boosting troop strength in Iraq.
Senator Daniel K Inouye, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Defence appropriations subcommittee, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he understands Bush wants to appoint Fallon to head the US Central Command, a position responsible for directing the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
"He's highly knowledgeable and well-educated and respected," Inouye said of Fallon. "I would think that his nomination, if the president is to submit it, would go flying through."
AP
- AP
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