US envoy Holbrooke in 'critical' condition

Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was in critical condition Saturday in hospital where he has been joined by family members, the State Department said.

"This morning, doctors completed surgery to repair a tear in his aorta. He is in critical condition and has been joined by his family" at George Washington University Hospital in the US capital, State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in a statement.