Lt. Gen. Paul E. Funk II assumed command Tuesday of the U.S.-led Coalition.

In a transfer-of-authority ceremony attended by hundreds of coalition troops and U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines at an undisclosed location in southwest Asia, Funk relieved Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, who had led Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve since August 2016.

It should be mentioned that the Pentagon has not yet issued any official statements explaining the reason for the dismissal of Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend.

According to many experts, this decision of the Central Command is connected with the recently appeared sharp criticism of the coalition actions leading to the death of civilians in eastern Syria.

Thus, The Amnesty International reports that as a result of indiscriminate strikes of the coalition  in Raqqa hundreds people were killed.