Afghan MPs fire two ministers

The Afghan parliament on Saturday voted to dismiss two powerful ministers for failing to act over cross-border shelling blamed on neighbouring Pakistan and over other security issues. The move obliges President Hamid Karzai to fire Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, who has strong support among Afghanistan’s Western allies, and Interior Minister Bismillah Mohammadi, a key ally of the president himself. “General Abdul Rahim Wardak will continue serving in the ministry as the acting defence minister until a new minister is introduced by the president,” defence ministry spokesman General Zaher Azimi told AFP. The two ministers were summoned to appear on Saturday before the Wolesi Jirga, or lower house of parliament, to defend their handling of the cross-border shelling and the overall security situation in a country facing a Taliban insurgency.