US envoy Holbrooke dies after surgery

WASHINGTON - Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, has died after undergoing surgery to repair an aortic tear, media reports said.

Holbrooke, 69, collapsed in the office of US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Friday and was rushed to nearby George Washington University Hospital. Holbrooke underwent 20 hours of surgery, State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters in Washington Monday.

Earlier Monday, Clinton said he remained in “very critical condition”.

Holbrooke’s death comes as US President Barack Obama is preparing to roll out the next strategy for the war in Afghanistan.

The diplomat made numerous trips to Afghanistan and Pakistan during the two years he has been the State Department’s special envoy. A former ambassador to Germany, Holbrooke also helped broker the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords, which ended the Bosnian civil war.