US Army dismisses two-star General

The US Army has fired a two-star General who allegedly sent flirty messages to the wife of an enlisted soldier at his post in Italy.

Major General Joseph Harrington was sacked due to "a loss of confidence in his ability to command", Xinhua quoted an army spokesman as saying in a statement.

The statement said the Army has been investigating allegations related to Harrington's communications with the spouse of an enlisted soldier but it provided no further comment citing an ongoing review of the investigation.

The Army said Harrington, who is also married, was probed for sending inappropriate Facebook messages to the woman.

Harrington asked the woman to delete what reports said "flattering, playful and flirtatious" messages, which she refused. Instead, she shared most of them with the US media outlets.

The two-star General was suspended from his post in early September but had stayed in Italy.

Following his dismissal, he was recalled to Pentagon and will work as a Special Assistant to the Director of the Army Staff until the investigation is finished.

--IANS

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