File photo: U.S. President Barack Obama (R) meets with Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) United States Marine Corps (USMC) General John Allen (C) and Deputy Special Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk (L) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington September 16, 2014. (REUTERS PHOTO)
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday appointed a new special envoy to the U.S.-led coalition campaign fighting the Islamic State (IS) as the U.S. strategy staggered on in the war-wrecked Middle East.
Brett McGurk, an experienced diplomat and the current No. two U.S. official in the Obama administration's counter-IS campaign, was named to succeed the retiring Gen. John Allen, said Obama in a statement.
File photo: US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq and Iran in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Brett McGurk, testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on "Terrorist March in Iraq: The U.S. Response." on July 23, 2014 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (AFP PHOTO)
Hailing McGurk as one of his "most trusted advisers on Iraq," Obama said the administration would offer full support for McGurk as he continues broadening and deepening coalition efforts to defeat the IS.
"I have also asked him to work closely with my national security team to strengthen our partnership with Iraq and work intensively with regional partners to bring an end to the civil war in Syria," said the statement.
