WASHINGTON: Richard Holbrooke, the veteran US diplomat who was tasked with bringing peace to Afghanistan, has died in Washington after suffering a torn aorta. He was 69.
President Barack Obama led the tributes to his special envoy, calling him “a true giant of American foreign policy”. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meanwhile described him as one of the country’s “most dedicated public servants”. In his latest role as special US envoy, Holbrooke was tasked with pushing Kabul and Islamabad to work together against resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Holbrooke had fallen ill last Friday while working at the State Department and was then rushed to a Washington hospital, where he underwent a 21-hour operation for a torn aorta. As he was sedated and going in for surgery, Holbrooke had some stark words: “You’ve got to stop this war in Afghanistan,” he told his Pakistani surgeon, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed family members. The State Department announced that Holbrooke’s job would be temporarily be taken over by his deputy, career diplomat Frank Ruggiero.
Holbrooke passes away
