Gen Franks, 'wise warrior' of two campaigns, retires

The man who led the US troops in the war in Iraq has decided to retire. General Tommy Franks, who also commanded the American forces in Afghanistan, will leave his post this summer.

Described by the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, as a "warrior and a wise commander", Franks had been considered as a likely candidate for the post of army chief of staff but has now apparently decided to step down. No immediate replacement has been announced.

Franks, 57, who liked to quote Sun Tzu's saying that "precise knowledge of self and precise knowledge of the threat leads to victory," will have no shortage of offers in the private sector. The war in Iraq has given him a high media profile in the US and could, if he wanted, enter the lucrative lecture circuit. He is also likely to be approached by publishers for his war memoirs.

From Midland, Texas, General Franks has received many plaudits from the Bush administration for his handling of the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Before the war in Afghanistan, President Bush supposedly asked his advisers "Is Tommy Franks ready to go?" and on being told that he was said "All right, then we're ready to go."

Likely replacements include Lieutenant General John Abizaid, his senior deputy at Camp as-Sayliyah during the war. No immediate indication was given yesterday as to when the new appointment would be announced. General Franks is likely to have considered that now was the best moment to depart before the administration makes any moves towards further military action in the region.

In a recent speech, General Franks said that he had been in the service for a long time. "My wife reminds me frequently how long I've worn it," he said. "She reminds me that I told her on the day we were married I was going to get out of the United States military. I remind her that some day I am going to."

In a report published on Monday, the St Petersburg Times, in Florida, quotedhis wife, Cathy, as saying she was pleased that her husband was ready to keep this promise that at some point he would retire. "I'm glad to know that he's a man of his word," she said.

General Franks's time in command has not been without controversy. He came under attack from within the Pentagon for his policy of using heavy aerial bombardment in Afghanistan rather than relying more on ground troops.

The number of "friendly fire" casualties in the war in Iraq has been criticised and General Franks has also raised eyebrows by some of his descriptions of countries where the military has been involved. He described Sudan as a "basket case" and Somalia as a "basket case with government."

Franks served in Vietnam with the 9th infantry division and commanded a howitzer battery in Europe.