Mr. Munter, a career diplomat, told embassy staff Monday that he will step down this summer, according to reporters in Islamabad who quoted unidentified U.S. sources.
One news story predicted he will be replaced by another professional diplomat, Richard Olson, now a top official at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan. Mr. Olson had served as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates until 2011.
Mr. Munter, a former top diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq and a former ambassador to Serbia, arrived in Islamabad in late October 2010 and immediately created a stir by defending U.S. drone strikes on terrorists inside Pakistan.
The ambassador has served in Pakistan during a tense decline in U.S.-Pakistani relations. The United States angered Pakistan with the drone attacks and with last year’s killing of Osama bin Laden, who was hiding in a Pakistani garrison town.
Pakistan outraged Washington by arresting a CIA contractor accused of killing two men in Lahore. Islamabad further crippled relations with the United States by cutting off a NATO supply route to forces in Afghanistan after NATO forces killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in a border clash in November.
• Call Embassy Row at 202/636-3297 or email jmorrison@washingtontimes.com. The column is published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
James Morrison joined the The Washington Times in 1983 as a local reporter covering Alexandria, Va. A year later, he was assigned to open a Times bureau in Canada. From 1987 to 1989, Mr. Morrison was The Washington Times reporter in London, covering Britain, Western Europe and NATO issues. After returning to Washington, he served as an assistant foreign editor ...
By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
A collection of reader guest articles, thoughts and opinions by Communities writers and breaking news and information.
Great discoveries in the world of restaurants and chefs fulfill the quest for delicious food and cooking.
Paul Rondeau dissects the propaganda, media tricks, and other shenanigans targeting our families, faith, and freedom…and even life itself
“Right Angles” explores serious subjects, such as the Islamization of the Middle East and delegitimization of Israel, with humor, candor and a twist.
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
13 Photos
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
18 Photos
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall
11 Photos
NRA kicks off annual convention
8 Photos
