Witnesses Give Details of Ahmed Wali Karzai’s Last Minutes and His Killer

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KABUL, Afghanistan — Ahmed Wali Karzai was conducting business in his normal fashion on Tuesday morning, holding court as 60 to 70 people filled the rooms of his large residence that also served as his office in central Kandahar, when one of his most faithful commanders asked to speak to him alone and then shot him at point-blank range.

The head of the elected provincial council, Mr. Karzai wielded power far beyond that office, both because he was a half brother to the president, Hamid Karzai, and because he had amassed great wealth and power over business, security and administrative affairs in Kandahar Province and much of southern Afghanistan.