Afghan interior minister resigns over drug trade

Afghanistan’s interior minister, one of the most prominent faces in President Hamid Karzai’s Cabinet, has announced his resignation after struggling to combat Afghanistan’s booming drug trade.

Karzai’s office played down the significance of Ahmad Ali Jalali’s decision to quit, ostensibly to pursue an academic career in the US. The president’s chief of staff, Jawed Ludin, denied Jalali had disagreements with Karzai on fighting narcotics.