U.S. President Donald Trump on July 20 tapped a veteran diplomat who currently serves as U.S. ambassador to Turkey to be his envoy to Afghanistan.
The White House said John Bass will be nominated for the Afghanistan job. Bass has also served in Iraq.
"Bass has spent much of the past decade supporting federal government efforts to mobilize allies and marshal resources to combat terrorism and instability in Iraq, Syria, and Southwest Asia," the White House said.
The nomination comes as the administration prepares to unveil a new strategy in Afghanistan, where U.S. troops have been fighting since 2001. The Pentagon is expected to send close to 4,000 more troops there.
The Afghanistan job may take on even more importance if Secretary of State Rex Tillerson decides to eliminate the special U.S. envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, as he has been considering.