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ByJulieWatsonand Ryan Van Velzer The Associated Press PHOENIX TheIslamicState group claimed responsibil- ity Tuesday for the assault on a Texas cartoon contest that featured images of the Prophet Muhammad, but counterterrorism experts said IS has a history of as- serting involvement in at- tacks in which it had no op- erational role. That suggests the two gunmen could have carried out their own lone wolf- style strike before they were shot and killed at the scene of Sunday's shooting in the Dallas suburb of Garland. Federal officials identified the pair as Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, both Amer- icans who lived in Phoe- nix. They were described as amicable and quiet and were sometimes seen feed- ing stray cats outside their apartment complex. Federal authorities had been scruti- nizing Simpson's social me- dia presence recently but had no indication he was plotting an attack, said one federal official familiar with the investigation. White House press secre- tary Josh Earnest said it's too early to say whether the Islamic State group played a role in the assault. He said U.S. officials are working aggressively to counter ter- rorist efforts to use social media to radicalize indi- viduals in the United States. IS recently urged those in the United States, Eu- rope and Australia who cannot safely travel to fight in Syria and Iraq to carry out jihad in the countries where they live. An audio statement on the extremist group's Al Bayan radio sta- tion called the men "two sol- diers of the caliphate." Federal investigators were looking for links to overseas terror groups, but as of Tuesday afternoon had not disclosed any connec- tion or evidence to back up IS's claims of responsibility. Authorities have not re- vealed whether the 31-year- old Simpson and 34-year- old Soofi had any contact with IS or if the group was even aware of the deliber- ately provocative cartoon contest in Garland. The shooting appeared to be another example of a "do-it-yourself" jihadist whose plots are often hard for law enforcement and in- telligence agencies to stop, said Mitchell Silber, execu- tive managing director for K2 Intelligence and for- mer director of intelligence analysis for the New York City police department. "It's very tough to detect in advance, which means we are and will continue to be susceptible to lone ac- tors who don't give us much warning to thwart them," he said. CARTOON CONTEST Islamic State group claims responsibility for Texas assault By Lolita C. Baldor The Associated Press WASHINGTON President Barack Obama tapped a highly respected combat commander as his next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Tuesday, signaling that the battles against al- Qaida and Islamic State militants threatening the Middle East and the West remain top priorities for the nation's military despite years of trying to change the focus to Asia. Announcing his selection of Marine Gen. Joseph Dun- ford Jr. during a Rose Gar- den ceremony, Obama said America's armed forces must be ready to meet a broad range of challenges, and that Dunford has proven to be one of the mil- itary's most highly regarded strategic thinkers. "We have to keep training Afghan forces and remain relentless against Al Qa- ida. We have to push back against ISIL and strengthen forces in Syria and build moderate opposition in Syria," said Obama, using an alternate name for the Is- lamic State group. "We have to stand united with our al- lies in Europe and keep re- balancing our posture as a Pacific power. We have to keep investing in new ca- pabilities to meet growing threats, including cyberat- tacks." As the U.S. started to look beyond the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon had begun to increase its fo- cus on the Asia Pacific re- gion, where the North Ko- rea threat was escalating and China was flexing its military muscles. But that has been eclipsed by the march of Islamic State mil- itants across Syria and Iraq, and the group's effort to ex- pand to other regions and import the fight to the West. Obama also chose Gen. Paul J. Selva, to serve as vice chairman. Selva, who has clocked more than 3,100 hours piloting transport and refueling aircraft, is the head of U.S. Transportation Com- mand at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. The two are ex- pected to be confirmed by the Senate, although there will likely be questioning from senators unhappy with the administration's na- tional security policies. COMBAT COMMANDER Marine general to head Joint Chiefs We'vegotyour sandals! 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