Obama accepts Gen. John Allen's request to retire

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama on Tuesday met with General John Allen and accepted his request to retire from the military, which means the White House will not go ahead with the NATO nomination of Allen.

In a statement, Obama said that the former top US commander in Afghanistan requested to retire in order to address "health issues within his family."

The president applauded Allen's 19-month service in Afghanistan, calling him "one of America's finest military leaders" and "a true patriot."

Allen was nominated to become the supreme allied commander in Europe -- the top military post of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The nomination had been placed on hold amid a Pentagon investigation into Allen's email exchanges with a women related to former CIA director David Petraeus' sex scandal until the general was eventually cleared of misconduct.

During an investigation of Petraeus, the FBI uncovered messages between Allen and Tampa socialite Jill Kelley, who served as a liaison between the civilian society and the US Central Command in Tampa, then commanded by Allen. Retiring Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ordered a formal inquiry, and the Pentagon's inspector general last month cleared Allen of misconduct.