UN chief fires deputy head of Afghan mission

The UN Secretary General has sacked a deputy special envoy to Afghanistan who has been embroiled in a dispute with his boss over the country's "fraud-tainted" election.

"The Secretary General (Ban Ki-moon) has decided to recall Mr. Peter Galbraith from Afghanistan and to end his appointment as the deputy special representative for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan," a UN statement said on Wednesday.

Galbraith has been embroiled in a dispute with his superior over how to deal with fraud allegations in the Afghan elections.

The differences were centered on listing of the so-called 'ghost' polling stations as well as sharing information with the Afghan electoral commission.

An anonymous UN official in Kabul said the UN special representative to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, favored the status quo while Galbraith, preferred other options such as a total recount to deal with the fraud allegations that have lowered support for Karzai's government.

In an interview, Galbraith said he could not be complicit in a cover-up.