Ahmed Wali Karzai, Afghan President's Brother Murdered

Ahmed Wali Karzai, Frenemy to US, Killed by Sardar Mohammad

Ahmed Wali Karzai, half-brother to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, was killed at his Kandahar compound on July 12. The murder was carried out by his close friend, a security guard named Sardar Mohammad, over what is described as a personal grudge. While the Taliban claimed responsibility for Wali Karzai's death, apparently they had nothing to do with it: Karzai had enough enemies as it was.

Ahmed Wali Karzai was both friend and enemy to the US, and to his own people. While he organized militia groups on behalf of the CIA (he had been on the CIA payroll for a decade), he also made a fortune in the drug trade, moving truckloads of heroin. Karzai sold contracting services to both NATO and the insurgents. Wali Karzai was not widely loved by the Afghani people, and had survived nine previous assassination attempts.

Sardar Mohammad shot Wali Karzai during a private meeting while Karzai was signing petitions, and then shot and killed three other bodyguards. Mohammad was a security guard and checkpoint commander, but was not one of Karzai's personal guards.