Colombia's Petro taps general for defense minister

BOGOTA (Reuters) -Colombia's President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday named General Pedro Sanchez as the Andean country's new defense minister, replacing Ivan Velasquez amid a cabinet reshuffle that saw a number of ministers resign.

Petro asked all his ministers to present their resignations earlier this month, after a tense televised cabinet meeting led some officials to step down.

Sanchez will be the first military official in the role in more than three decades. Since 1991, civilians - mostly career politicians - have held the post.

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Oliver Griffin;)

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