Ahmad Wali Karzai, a brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, has been assassinated in Kandahar. Ahmad Wali served as the head of Kandahar’s provincial council and was one of the most powerful officials in southern Afghanistan. The Taliban claimed responsibility for today’s attack, saying they had persuaded one of Karzai’s bodyguards to turn on him. Karzai had survived two other assassination attempts in recent years. In other Afghan news, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced France will withdraw 1,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2012.