Karzai's Half Brother Shot Dead in Home

The younger half brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai was shot dead early today in his home by one of the family bodyguards, according to witnesses. The bodyguard was immediately killed. Ahmad Wali Karzai was the powerful provincial council chairman for Kandahar, and had become a political liability for the Karzai administration amid various charges of cronyism and corruption—though the president steadfastly defended his brother, notes AP. He was killed by a former bodyguard of his older brother Qayyoum. A power struggle is now inevitable as the Karzai family and other powerful tribes battle for control, reports the New York Times. (More Hamid Karzai stories.)