Obama names Brett McGurk as envoy to coalition fighting Islamic State

WASHINGTON U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday appointed Brett McGurk as his new envoy to the coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, the White House said.

McGurk, a long-time White House adviser on Iraq, has been the deputy to General John Allen, who led the global coalition's campaign against Islamic State since its inception last year. Allen, who served in the U.S. Marines for more than 37 years, is retiring from public service next month, the White House said.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Megan Cassella; Editing by Susan Heavey)