U.S. commander in Afghanistan investigated

In a new twist to the Gen. David Petraeus sex scandal, the Pentagon said early today that the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen, is under investigation for alleged "inappropriate communications" with a woman who is said to have received threatening emails from Petraeus' former lover.

Under review are emails and other documents exchanged between Allen, who was nominated last month as NATO's new supreme allied commander, and Jill Kelley, a Petraeus family friend described as an unpaid social liaison at a Florida Air Force base, a senior defense official said.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the FBI referred the matter to the Pentagon Sunday and that Monday he ordered a Pentagon probe, during which Allen will remain commander of the International Security Assistance Force. The Pentagon informed the Senate Armed Services Committee about the allegations and has asked it to delay Allen's confirmation hearings set for Thursday, he said.

The senior official would not say whether the documents, dating to 2010, involved sexual matters or classified information. "General Allen disputes that he has engaged in any wrongdoing in this matter," the official said.

-- AP and Bloomberg News