State employee resigns over Afghan war

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- A U.S. State Department official and ex-Marine captain has resigned to protest the Afghan war, saying he has lost "confidence in the strategic purpose."

Matthew Hoh, 36, resigned in September, saying in his letter he "lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan," The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

"I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end," said Hoh, a former Marine Corps captain with combat experience in Iraq.

U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry flew Hoh to Kabul, the Afghan capital, and offered him a job on his senior embassy staff, which Hoh declined. Hoh also had a face-to-face meeting with Richard Holbrooke, special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"We took his letter very seriously, because he was a good officer," Holbrooke told the Post. "We all thought that given how serious his letter was, how much commitment there was, and (because of ) his prior track record, we should pay close attention to him."

Holbrooke said he asked Hoh to join his team in Washington, explaining that "if (Hoh) really wanted to affect policy and help reduce the cost of the war on lives and treasure" he could work "inside the building" to help effect change.

Hoh said he accepted the job, but then changed his mind.

"I recognize the career implications, but it wasn't the right thing to do," he told the Post Friday, two days after his resignation became final.

"I'm not some peacenik, pot-smoking hippie who wants everyone to be in love," Hoh said. "There are plenty of dudes who need to be killed."