, The Pentagon is to replace the top U.S. commander in Iraq , denying any connection to the Abu Ghraib scandal and reports about his presence during some interrogations that saw the torture and abuse of Iraqi prisoners.
Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez will be replaced because he already has been in Iraq for 13 months, Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted an unnamed senior U.S. defense official as saying
“Absolutely not,” the official said, when asked whether Abu Ghraib prison scandal was the motive.
“He's been there 13 months,” he said. “You have to be looking for a replacement for him like you do for every other soldier.”
On Sunday, May 23, the Washington Post reported that a military lawyer for one of the U.S. soldiers involved in the abuse scandal said a captain at the prison told him Sanchez was present during some “interrogations and/or allegations of prisoner abuse.”
The U.S. command issued a statement denying the report.
“This report is false, and lieutenant general Sanchez stands by his testimony before Congressional committees.”
Sanchez, among other top officers, was blasted by several U.S. lawmakers for not giving an early warning to Congress about the abuse scandal photographs that were turned over to military investigators in January, reported the New York Times Tuesday, May 25.
It added that while the replacement may not have come purely as a result of the abuse scandal, Sanchez has been under pressure with resistance attacks posing increasing danger in the central town of Fallujah and in several southern towns.
Speculation on Sanchez's replacement has centered on General George Casey, vice chief of the army, and Lieutenant General Bantz Craddock, currently senior military assistant of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld but due for a new assignment, according to AFP.
ABC News reported that Casey had been tapped for the job.
The Times quoted senior Pentagon officials as saying the decision has already been taken and Casey is the Sanchez's replacement.
Casey is Sanchez's likely replacement
“Generals Sanchez and Craddock are both three-star officers who would have needed Senate approval for promotion to a higher rank, and either might have faced a lengthy confirmation process. General Casey is already a four-star officer, and presumably could be installed in the new position more rapidly,” according to the American daily.
“Under a new American military command structure drawn up for the post-June 30 political setting, a four-star officer will have overall responsibility but will focus on political and reconstruction issues with the designated American ambassador, John D. Negroponte. A three-star officer, Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz, will oversee daily military operations.”
The daily reported that the changes come during a larger reshuffling of top generals and admirals that typically happens every summer as the Pentagon carries out a regular rotation of its more senior commanders worldwide.
“But the paths for Generals Sanchez and Casey have recently taken some sharp curves and dips,” it added.
“For several weeks, senior military and Pentagon officials said, a leading plan was to promote General Sanchez to four-star rank, making him the Army's senior-ranking Hispanic officer and rewarding his work in Iraq by giving him the Southern Command, which has responsibility for most of Latin America .
“Under that plan, officials said, General Craddock would have been awarded a fourth star, and taken General Sanchez's place in Baghdad as head of the new Multinational Force Iraq , after June 30.
“But something happened in the past few days to derail that plan. Even as the military's top worldwide commanders met in Washington for a two-day conference, defense officials would not say Monday night what caused the plan to change.”
Under a new plan, General Craddock would move to the Southern Command, opening the spot for General Casey in Iraq , one defense official told the Times.
“Casey is a more forceful type than Craddock,” the defense official added, suggesting that the last-minute changes may have been a result of Mr. Rumsfeld and his top advisers deciding they needed “a different personality.”
“More importantly,” said the official, “where is Sanchez going, because Craddock is going to Southcom instead, leaves no seats when the music stops.”
