U.S. Envoy To Pakistan And Afghanistan To Step Down

U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman

The U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marc Grossman, will be stepping down effective as of December 14.

His spokeswoman said Grossman will be returning to private life. The spokeswoman also quoted U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as thanking Grossman for creating a "diplomatic surge" that has "put in place a network of regional and international support for Afghanistan post 2014 and into the next decade."

Grossman has traveled extensively in the region, and his efforts are credited with helping to persuade Pakistan to reopen its border crossings with Afghanistan to NATO convoys earlier this year.

They had been closed amid a row over the killing of 24 Pakistani troops in a U.S. air strike.

Based on reporting by AFP and Al-Jazeera