U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter confirmed Monday that Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps in Ft. Bragg, N.C., will take command of the anti-Islamic State mission in Iraq and Syria next month.
The confirmation came during Carter’s remarks to U.S. troops in Baghdad, when he paused to praise the current commander, Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland.
“Come August, you will be handing over this fight to another remarkable officer and leader, Lt. Gen. Steve Townsend. But as complex as this fight remains, I know Steve will inherit a campaign that has progressed remarkably under your leadership,” Carter said in his opening remarks to the troops.
Townsend, a three-star general, is a veteran of anti-insurgent campaigns in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
