Afghanistan's new aviation minister appointed on Tuesday could be excused for accepting the job with some trepidation -- both his predecessors died violently.

Bismillah Bismil will replace Mirwais Sadiq, who was killed in a shootout on March 21, President Hamid Karzai said in a statement.

Sadiq, the son of Herat's powerful provincial governor Ismail Khan, was shot dead by forces loyal to a pro-Karzai commander in heavy factional fighting in Herat, Afghanistan's wealthiest city.

He had replaced Abdul Rahman, who was beaten to death by a mob of about 1,000 pilgrims in the capital Kabul in February 2002 following rumours that he had canceled a flight to Saudi Arabia before the traditional Muslim Haj pilgrimage.

Karzai also announced that Hakim Khan Taniwal, a former professor at an Australian university, would take the job of minister of minerals and industries.

(Reuters)