The murder of Ahmed Wali Karzai, the so-called "King of Kandahar," creates a power vacuum in a key political stronghold in Afghanistan. Karzai was the half-brother of President Hamid Karzai, and a pillar of the president's authority. His death creates uncertainty for the Kabul government as it contemplates the prospect of a pullout of U.S. forces from the country.
Wali Karzai, or AWK as he was often known, was a restaurateur in Chicago until he moved to Pakistan in 2000. His U.S. connections helped him facilitate his brother's ascent to the presidency after coalition forces overthrew the Taliban in 2001.
A charming, charismatic and shrewd man, AWK used his family connections to become the point man for distributing billions of dollars of aid money that flowed into southern Afghanistan. It was rumored that no appointment was made or official action taken without his consent.