AFP
09/01/2010
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WASHINGTON – Afghan ambassador to the United States, Said Jawad, said Wednesday he had been ordered to leave his post after seven years, and lashed out at what he called a "broad campaign smear" against him.

Afghan ambassador to the United States, Said Jawad, pictured in 2009.AFP/File

He told CNN that seven years in the ambassador post was a "long time" and it was "fairly normal" for him to be leaving at this point.

But Jawad also said he was not given an explanation for why he had to leave, and had been told to quit by September 22.

"Serving seven years to strengthen the bond of friendship between our two nations has been a tremendous honor and a most rewarding experience," Jawad said in a statement posted on the website of the Afghan embassy in Washington.

In an interview with CNN however, Jawad slammed what he described as "completely false allegations and doctored photos" that had appeared to show lavish parties held at the embassy during the holy month of Ramadan.

The pictures purportedly showed women in sleeveless dresses and drinking alcohol at the embassy. But Jawad said he had been out of the country in Colombia and Brazil.

And he charged that people were being "subjected to a broad campaign smear both by the opportunistic government, and those fanatics outside of the government, and so they use this information and misinformation and propaganda in different ways."

Jawad insisted he would not comment on the forced surprised resignations of Afghanistan's interior minister and secret service chief in the last few months at the hands of President Hamad Karzai.

The two officials were among the most respected members -- at home and among Afghanistan's Western allies -- of Karzai's US-backed government, which has been plagued by allegations of corruption.

The pair had reportedly had serious reservations about Karzai's approach to brokering peace talks with the Taliban insurgency.

Karzai's office said in early June that the president lost confidence in them over their handling of security at a "peace jirga" held in Kabul, which was targeted in an insurgent attack.

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