Qayum Karzai, Hamed Karzai’s brother died in theUnited States of America

Sources close to the Karzai family confirmed that Qayum Karzai, the elder brother of former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, passed away on Wednesday night, June 9th, in the U.S. state of Maryland.

Born in 1947 in Kandahar, Qayum Karzai spent most of his youth in America and held a degree in political science. Following the fall of the Taliban in 2001, he played a role in negotiations with resistance forces to garner support for Hamid Karzai’s presidency.

Qayum Karzai was elected as a member of the Afghan parliament in 2004 but resigned in 2008 due to criticism over his attendance. He also ran as a candidate in the 2014 presidential election but withdrew at the last moment.

Several Afghan political leaders, including Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, expressed their condolences to Hamid Karzai, who is currently on a trip to Germany.