Newly appointed governor welcomed in Gardez

Thursday, 14 February, 2002, 15:15 GMT

People in the eastern Afghan town of Gardez have welcomed the arrival of their new governor, who was officially appointed in the role by the interim leader, Hamid Karzai.

Taj Mohammad Wardak will now govern the Paktia province and has urged its people to work together to rebuild the region.

Fighting broke out last month in the town one hundred kilometres from the capital, Kabul after a local warlord Bacha Khan laid claim to the governorship.

More than 60 people were killed in two days of fighting, the worst since Hamid Karzai's administration took office late last year.

Seventy-seven year old Taj Mohammad Wardak had previously been governor of the northern Badakhshan province under the former king, Mohammed Zahir Shah, who was ousted from power in 1973.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service