Cameron Gray June 4,2004 Walt Disney 306 Pentagon To Replace Sanchez As Iraq Chief The Pentagon is considering replacing Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez as the top U.S. military officer in Iraq, defense officials said on Monday, but denied the Abu Ghraib Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal was the reason. A senior defense official said Sanchez has served in Iraq for 13 months and that Army and Marine Corps division commanders all have rotated out of the country …showed first 75 words of 213 total…

…showed last 75 words of 213 total…officer in Iraq. Kimmitt said military officials in Iraq had always expected Sanchez to depart sometime after the June 30 transfer of power. One Pentagon source said Gen. George Casey, Army vice chief of staff, has emerged as the top candidate to replace Sanchez and assume the new position of unified commander of military forces in Iraq. "There has been no final decision on a replacement, but Gen. Casey is a top candidate," said one official.