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Abizaid takes over as head of US Central Command
Washington, July 08: John Abizaid, a Lebanese-American General and Middle East expert fluent in Arabic, has replaced Tommy Franks as head of the US Central Command, which directs forces in a vast region that includes Iraq and Afghanistan.
Washington, July 08: John Abizaid, a Lebanese-American General and Middle East expert fluent in Arabic, has replaced Tommy Franks as head of the US Central
Command, which directs forces in a vast region that includes Iraq and Afghanistan.
At a ceremony at the command headquarters at Macdill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida yesterday, defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld took the command flag from Franks and passed it to Abizaid, in a symbolic transfer of leadership.
Abizaid also was promoted from Lieutenant General to General.
"I know of no one more qualified to follow in Tom Franks's very large footsteps," Rumsfeld said. "John Abizaid brings an extraordinary combination of talent and experience to this critical post." Abizaid, 52, will oversee troops in a region that encompasses 25 countries in the Middle East and Southwest Asia.
The United States has about 250,000 troops in the region, including 145,000 in Iraq, another 9,000 in Afghanistan and about 1,500 in the horn of Africa.
"We know success (in the region) will require not only military muscle but the focus of economic, political, intelligence and diplomatic efforts of the United States and of our friends and allies," Abizaid said. "We also know the ultimate success will rest in the hands of courageous Afghanis and Iraqis, which will lead their people to a better future."
Abizaid, a 1973 graduate of the US Military Academy, is an expert in Arabic affairs with a master's degree in Middle Eastern studies from Harvard University.
Bureau Report
Abizaid also was promoted from Lieutenant General to General.
"I know of no one more qualified to follow in Tom Franks's very large footsteps," Rumsfeld said. "John Abizaid brings an extraordinary combination of talent and experience to this critical post." Abizaid, 52, will oversee troops in a region that encompasses 25 countries in the Middle East and Southwest Asia.
The United States has about 250,000 troops in the region, including 145,000 in Iraq, another 9,000 in Afghanistan and about 1,500 in the horn of Africa.
"We know success (in the region) will require not only military muscle but the focus of economic, political, intelligence and diplomatic efforts of the United States and of our friends and allies," Abizaid said. "We also know the ultimate success will rest in the hands of courageous Afghanis and Iraqis, which will lead their people to a better future."
Abizaid, a 1973 graduate of the US Military Academy, is an expert in Arabic affairs with a master's degree in Middle Eastern studies from Harvard University.
Bureau Report