US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan,Richard Holbrooke died in Washington after surgery on Saturday to repair a tear in his aorta.He was 69. He fell ill at the State Department on Friday and was admitted to intensive care unit of the nearby George Washington University Hospital. The veteran US diplomat, who brokered the 1995 peace agreement that ended the Balkans war, had been a key player in Obama's efforts to turn around the faltering 9-year-old war in Afghanistan. Holbrooke was once called “Washington's favorite last-ditch diplomat'' and “America's toughest diplomatic tactician'' by Time magazine. His portfolio included serving as the US ambassador to the United Nations and Germany and he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize seven times.Holbrooke joined Obama's administration in 2009 as special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, a tough job coordinating the approach to trouble spots that are key foreign policy priorities for Obama.