Afghan president names third nominee for defence minister

Reuters

21 May 2015 at 9:44 am

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday announced his third nominee for defence minister to spearhead the fight against Taliban insurgents after most foreign forces left at the end of last year. Ghani told a gathering of donor nations in Kabul that Masoom Stanikzai, a former communications minister and member of the High Peace Council, would take over the Defence Ministry. It was unclear whether Stanikzai would be confirmed by Afghanistan's parliament, which rejected Ghani's first choice for the post, current Army Chief of Staff General Sher Mohammad Karimi. A second nominee dropped out after two days. The Defence Ministry post is the last major position unfilled in the long-delayed cabinet of the eight-month-old unity government headed by Ghani and his former election rival Abdullah Abdullah. Disagreements between the two leaders delayed the formation of a cabinet for months at a time of deep uncertainty as the Taliban stepped up attacks and the economy has faltered. (Reporting by Kay Johnson; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

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