If confirmed Casey, the army number two, would become the only four-star US officer in Iraq

WASHINGTON (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – U.S. President George Bush has nominated General George Casey, the army's number two, to become the top commander in Iraq, replacing Ricardo Sanchez, who has come under scrutiny for reportedly ordering and witnessing the torture of Iraqi detainees.

Casey's nomination headed a list of general officer appointments released by the Pentagon on Tuesday, June 16, reported Reuters.

The Pentagon officials have described Casey's job as the overall commander of the 138,000 U.S. and 22,000 troops in Iraq, responsible for the broad direction of the U.S.-led military affairs while dealing with the new Iraqi government.

Casey has served as vice chief of staff for the Army since last October, playing a key role in the day-to-day army operations.

His father was Maj. Gen. George Casey, who in 1970 became the most senior US military officer killed during the Vietnam War, dying in a helicopter crash.

Casey, whose nomination requires Senate confirmation, is pegged to head a restructured military leadership in Iraq, the Pentagon said.

If confirmed, he would become the only four-star U.S. officer in Iraq. Sanchez is a three-star general.

Detainee Scandal

Pentagon officials last month disclosed the decision to replace Sanchez as top commander in Iraq, a job he has held since June 2003, and said Casey had emerged as the favorite.

During Sanchez's stint, US forces detained ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and killed his two sons, but failed to defeat resistance attacks against occupation troops, now in the oil-rich country for more than one year.

Sanchez also has been caught up in the scandal over the abuse of Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib jail.

The Pentagon said last week that Sanchez had asked to be removed as the officer who reviews an ongoing investigation into the prisoner abuse by Maj. Gen. George Fay in order to allow his own conduct to be scrutinized.

Sanchez last year ordered military intelligence to take control of Abu Ghraib, but has denied knowledge of the abuse before the chain of command was notified in January.

Brigadier Gen Janis Karpinski, the US commander at the center of the scandal, said on Tuesday, that she was being made a "convenient scapegoat" for abuse ordered by others.

She said Sanchez should be asked what he knew about the abuse, adding that military intelligence took over part of the Abu Ghraib jail to "Gitmoize" their interrogations - make them more like what was happening Guantanamo, which is nicknamed "Gitmo".

The Washington Post said on Saturday, June 12, that Sanchez gave free reign to US officers in charge of Abu Ghraib to adopt various torture and abuse tactics used at Guantanamo.

The daily revealed on May 23 that Sanchez was present during some of interrogations that saw the torture and abuse of prisoners.

The US Army's own investigator, Major General Antonio M. Taguba, found evidence of "sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuse" at Abu Ghraib.

Consultations

In the meantime, one of the key architects of the US-led invasion of Iraq, US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, was in Baghdad on Wednesday, June 16, to discuss security issues with people on the ground, an official said.

"Wolfowitz is here, for consultations with coalition and Iraqi officials on security matters," a senior US military official said on condition of anonymity.

He declined to say how long Wolfowitz would stay in Iraq, his fourth visit to the country in the 18 months since the war to topple Saddam Hussein and subsequent occupation.

In October, Wolfowitz escaped uninjured when several heavy rockets hit the landmark Rashid hotel in Baghdad, killing at least one US soldier and injuring 15 others.