Afghan Defense Minister and Chief of Staff Resign

The president of Afghanistan accepted the resignation of the defense minister and the chief of staff of the Afghan army. The two generals decided to step down from their positions following the deaths of more than 140 soldiers in a Taliban attack on a military base in Afghanistan.

The Afghan presidential office announced on Monday (April 24, 2023) that Ashraf Ghani, president of Afghanistan, has accepted the resignation requests of General Abdullah Habibi, defense minister, and General Qadam Shah Shahim, chief of staff of the Afghan armed forces.

The Afghan presidential office published news of the resignation of the defense minister and chief of staff of the Afghan army on its Twitter account.

Shah Hassan Mortazavi, spokesman for the Afghan presidency, told Reuters that the resignation of the two mentioned generals came as a result of the Taliban attack on Friday (April 21, 2023) on a military base of the Afghan army near Mazar-i-Sharif located in Balkh province in northern Afghanistan.

A senior Afghan government official in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif announced on Saturday that at least 140 soldiers were killed in the Taliban attack.

Source: DW