Afghanistan appoints new security ministers

Ashraf Ghani, the Afghan president, replaced two ministers charged with managing the country’s faltering security yesterday, as the Taliban pressed on with its campaign to capture new territory in fierce battles with government forces.

The shake-up comes as violence surges and peace talks are deadlocked. General Bismillah Khan Mohammadi is the new defence minister, and General Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal has been named interior minister.