WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush plans to replace Gen. George Casey Jr. as head of U.S. forces in Iraq with Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, officials said.
Bush plans to announce his new strategy for Iraq next week. But the promotion of Petraeus was one of several changes leaked Thursday by administration officials, The New York Times reported.
Adm. William Fallon, who heads Navy operations in the Pacific, would replace Gen. John Abizaid as head of Central Command, officials said. The choice is an unusual one given that Central Command is in charge of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, where most of the forces come from the Army and Marines.
Zalmay Khalilzad, who is U.S. ambassador to Iraq, would replace John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations under a new round of Bush appointments.
"It was clearly time to move the players around on the field," a senior official told the Times. "This helps the president to make the case that this is a fresh start."
Bush has also moved John Negroponte from director of national intelligence to the State Department, where he will serve as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's top deputy.
