Pres. Ghani rejects resignations of security chiefs

President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday rejected the resignation of the ministers of interior and defense and the NDS chief, urging them to continue their work, Ghani’s Office said in a statement, ToloNews reported.
“Wais Ahmad Barmak, Minister of Interior, Masoum Stanikzai, the National Directorate of Security (NDS) chief and Tariq Shah Bahrami, the Defense Minister, officially handed in their resignation letters. The President did not accept thier resignation and asked these officials to continue their work, giving them guides for better security,” according to the statement.
On Saturday, Ghani asked his security cabinet to step down, sources confirmed.
According to sources, the reasons given by Ghani for the resignations included last week’s rocket attack on the Presidential Palace, the recent Ghazni attack and the increasing ANDSF casualty toll.
Also on Saturday, Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar resigned from his post.
Minutes after Atmar’s resignation, Ghani appointed his ambassador to Washington DC, Hamdullah Mohib, as his new National Security Adviser.
Atmar’s letter of resignation meanwhile stated that he is stepping down due to “serious differences over policies and approaches at the top level of government.”
He said he differed in opinion “when it comes to national unity, national consensus, peace and security political management, electoral affairs, good governance and regional affairs.”
Atmar also stated that “because of my disagreement with government leadership over these issues, I am stepping down from my post since we failed to reach a consensus.”
Atmar, 50, has been a close aide to President Ashraf Ghani since 2014.
He has been considered by some as the second-most powerful official in Afghanistan, Reuters stated adding that a senior government official close to Atmar, who spoke to Reuters on condition anonymity, said the former security adviser was considering running against Ghani in the 2019 presidential elections.
“He has resigned because he is preparing to run for presidential election next year,” said the official.
Atmar was also interior minister during former president Hamid Karzai’s tenure until 2010.