Rahmatullah Raufi, right, shown with Afghanistan task-force commander Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson after Raufi was newly appointed Kandahar governor on Aug. 18, says he has been fired. (Tobi Cohen/Canadian Press)

The governor of Kandahar province said Thursday he has been removed from his post just 3½ months after he took the position.

"Last night, I received a call from Kabul saying … 'You are fired'," Rahmatullah Raufi, a former army general, told the Associated Press.

"Personally, I do not want to work either, because some of the powerful people [in Kandahar] were creating problems in my job," Raufi said, without elaborating.

Barna Karimi, an official with Afghanistan's Independent Directorate for Local Governance in Kabul, confirmed to the Associated Press that Raufi was fired but did not provide other details.

In August, Raufi replaced Asadullah Khalid, who in his three years as governor had faced criticism that he wasn't effective enough against Taliban insurgents.

Khalid was also among Afghan officials alleged to have participated in torture of detainees, but he denied the reports.

Khalid became the centre of a political stir last April when former foreign affairs minister Maxime Bernier suggested during a visit that Khalid should be removed to help fight political corruption in the south.

With files from the Associated Press