Panetta And Wardak
U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, left, sits at a conference with Afghanistan Defense Minister Gen Abdul Rahim Wardak. Reuters

The defense minister of Afghanistan has resigned, raising more fears about the makeup of the Kabul government in the wake of the final departure of NATO troops.

General Abdul Rahim Wardak, an ally of the United States and Britain who was seeking to build an Afghan army that could adequately fight the Taliban threat, was actually dismissed by a vote of parliament over criticism arising from his handling of border clashes with Pakistan.

Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, the interior minister who led the Afghan police force, was also fired.

Catriona Laing, a senior NATO official, warned these measures "could have significant consequences for transition."

Pakistan Afghanistan Afghanistan United kingdom