Former Afghan politician dies

The former Afghan politician, General Khalilullah Azam, has died of a stroke in the Netherlands where he was living as refugee.

He was fifty-seven.

A prominent Afghan military and political personality, General Khalil came to prominence in the government of Afghanistan's first president, Mohammad Dawood, who seized power in a coup in 1973.

After the communist take-over in 1978, General Khalil served as the deputy defence minister and later as the minister for transport.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service