Afghan transport minister sacked

Thousands of Afghans visit Saudi Arabia for Haj every year

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has fired his transport minister "for carrying out suspicious activities", his office said in a statement.

Hamidullah Qaderi has been sacked and an inquiry has been ordered into his handling of contracts to take Afghan pilgrims to Mecca for the Haj, it said.

The statement did not give details of the allegations against Mr Qaderi.

Critics say the government - which receives billions of dollars in foreign aid - is riddled with corruption.

Correspondents say bribe-taking is a common occurrence in the country and Mr Karzai has been under pressure from his Western backers to clean up his administration.

In 2005, the government arrested two Afghan deputy ministers and six officials for involvement in a scam in which Haj pilgrims had been short-changed.

President Karzai has ordered the attorney general's office to investigate Mr Qaderi's handling of lucrative contracts to take 30,000 Afghans to Mecca for the Haj, news agency AFP reported.

Correspondents say that it is the first time the president has summarily sacked a minister for alleged corruption.

Saudi Arabia offers places for 30,000 Afghans to travel to Mecca to participate in the Haj which starts in a few weeks.

Pilgrims are selected by the government in a draw of lots and they each pay about $3,000 to cover their transport and accommodation costs.

In the statement, Mr Karzai also ordered all government organisations to ensure that this year's pilgrims had a smooth journey.