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Afghan Defense Minister Resigns After Parliamentary Censure

August 07, 2012

Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak has resigned. He had lost a no-confidence vote in parliament last week over handling security and being relegated to an acting role by President Hamid Karzai.

Wardak, one of the country's two key security ministers together with Interior Minister Bismillah Mohammadi, told reporters he respected parliament's decision, which could complicate NATO's plans to hand security responsibilities over to Afghan forces before the end of 2014.

The parliament voted on August 4 to remove Wardak and Mohammadi after recent assassinations of senior officials by insurgents, as well as cross-border shelling incidents blamed on Pakistan.

Based on reporting by Reuters and tolonews.com

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/afghan-defense-minister-resigns/24669304.html

Copyright (c) 2012. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.