Afghan president declines resignation of top officials

KABUL – Afghanistan’s top security officials have tendered their resignation, but President Ashraf Ghani asked them to remain at their posts.

The presidential palace said Sunday that Ghani declined the offers to resign submitted by Defence Minister Tareq Shah Bahrami, Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak and Masoum Stanekzai, Afghanistan’s top intelligence official.

On Saturday, Ghani accepted the resignation of Mohammed Haneef Atmar, his national security adviser, and replaced him with Hamdullah Mohib, who previously served as the ambassador to the United States.

The security shake-up comes after weeks of unrelenting attacks by the Taliban, who have seized several districts across the country in recent years. The insurgent group has also boosted its diplomatic profile, sending official delegations to Indonesia and Uzbekistan, and accepting an invitation for talks in Moscow.