President George W. Bush nominated an Arab-American general to replace General Tommy Franks as commander of US forces in Iraq and elsewhere in a region that stretches from Egypt to Afghanistan, the Pentagon said. Abizaid, who is of Lebanese descent, with a masters degree in Middle Eastern studies from Harvard. He was born in a Christian family, he speaks Arabic fluently. Abizaid studied at the University of Jordan in Amman and served as an operations officer with a UN Observer Group in Lebanon. Lieutenant General John Abizaid has been serving since December as Franks' deputy in charge of US military operations in Iraq. He commanded an airborne battalion that deployed to northern Iraq after the Gulf War in 1991 to protect Kurds from Iraqi troops as part of Operation Provide Comfort. He was assistant division commander of the 1st Armored Division in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He served as commander of the 1st Infantry Division based in Wurzburg, Germany when it formed the core of Task Force Falcon in Kosovo. Abizaid had been considered for the post of army chief of staff, but his training and background made him an ideal choice as commander of the US Central Command, a position that requires a flair for diplomacy as well as the military arts. Besides the occupation of Iraq, he will be overseeing a withdrawal of US forces from Saudi Arabia and a continuing struggle against Al-Qaeda network. **Captured Saddam's Secretary*** U.S. forces have captured Saddam Hussein's top aide and presidential secretary, a man who American officials believe knows the fate of the deposed Iraqi leader and has information about banned weapons. Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti was No. 4 on the U.S. most-wanted list of Iraqi leaders, behind only Saddam and sons Qusai and Odai. American forces captured him Monday in Iraq, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command, the military organization running operations there. It provided no details on the operation that led to his capture, nor did it say precisely where he was taken. Mahmud started his career as a noncommissioned officer in Saddam's personal guard and was eventually promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. In the 1990s, he was put in charge of several security portfolios, including responsibility over places Iraq has been accused of hiding weapons programs. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer called it a "significant capture" but provided no details. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld refused to discuss the capture at a press conference. **PHOTO CAPTION*** U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John Abizaid gestures while addressing the media at a briefing at the Camp As Sayliah Central Command Center in Doha, Qatar, on March 23, 2003. (AP Photo/Richard Lewis)