General's posting in Pakistan scrubbed

WASHINGTON, May 9 (UPI) -- The Pentagon has quietly canceled the assignment of U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jay Hood as senior American officer in Pakistan, U.S. military reports said.

Hood formerly was commander of the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. And, that brought on a rash of attacks in newspapers and elsewhere, The New York Times said Friday. Several leading Pakistani military and foreign affairs commentators have called on their new government to block the appointment.

Hood was at Guantanamo from 2004-06. The alleged treatment of detainees at the prison is a point of contention in much of the Muslim world.

The job of the U.S. commander in Pakistan is considers key in the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaida believed operating in the country's tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.

U.S. military officials said they had concluded that Hood's effectiveness would be hindered and his personal safety could be at risk, the Times said.

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