Ex-US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld passes away
Former US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the main architect of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, has died, according to a statement by his family released Wednesday. He was 88. "It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Donald Rumsfeld, an American statesman and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. At 88, he was surrounded by family in his beloved Taos, New Mexico," the statement issued on Wednesday said. The cause of the former defence chief's death was multiple myeloma, according to Keith Urbahn, a spokesman for the family. Rumsfeld first served as Defence Secretary in the Gerald Ford administration during the early 1970s, and then headed the Pentagon again under then President George W. Bush in the early 2000s, reports Xinhua news agency. While the veteran politician's two stints at the helm of the Pentagon made him both the youngest and the second-oldest Defence Secretary, it was the second term that defined Rumsfeld's legacy. Rumsfeld oversaw two conflicts during his tenure in the position — Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan conducted less than a month following the 9/11 terror attack on American homeland in 2001, and the Iraq War launched in 2003. (IANS)
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