US | Afghanistan war Holbrooke's Last Words: End Afghanistan War Veteran diplomat made plea for peace on his way to surgery By Rob Quinn Posted Dec 14, 2010 2:40 AM CST Updated Dec 14, 2010 6:42 AM CST Copied Richard Holbrooke, 69, was the architect of the 1995 Bosnia peace plan. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq, File) Richard Holbrooke's dying wish was for an end to the war in Afghanistan, family members say. As he was heading into surgery in a Washington hospital, the late American special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan told his Pakistani surgeon, "You've got to stop this war in Afghanistan," relatives tell the Washington Post. The 69-year-old diplomat died of complications from a 21-hour operation to repair a torn aorta. Click for more on Holbrooke. Read These Next Trump, Johnson aren't happy with pick for Super Bowl headliner. It's being called a disturbing trend: paragliders with bombs. Felix Baumgartner's death attributed to his own error. SCOTUS sounds skeptical about law banning gay conversion therapy. Report an error