Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has appointed hard-line opponents of neighboring Pakistan to two top security posts, potentially complicating U.S. efforts to revive peace talks with the Taliban ahead of next summer’s withdrawal of 7,000 American troops, VOA news reports.
Ghani announced Sunday that Amrullah Saleh will be the next interior minister and Asadullah Khaleed will be defense minister. Both are former intelligence chiefs who have blamed Pakistan for the Taliban’s resurgence in recent years and have even called for it to be declared a state sponsor of terror.
Afghanistan’s parliament will have to approve the appointments.
Pakistan, which has influence over the Taliban, is taking part in the latest U.S. effort to revive the peace process.