US officials: White House picks special-ops chief

The White House has chosen former US counterterrorist ambassador Michael Sheehan to take one of the top Pentagon jobs in America's secret war on terror groups.

Two senior US officials say the former US Army Green Beret will help coordinate America's sweeping campaign of clandestine special operations raids and covert drone strikes against militants operating from Pakistan to Afghanistan to Yemen. The officials insisted on anonymity because the White House has not yet announced the selection. (AP)