Complex sentence: In August 2003 President Hamid Karzai decreed that officials could no longer hold both military and civil posts, and replaced Gul Agha with Yousef Pashtun as Governor of Kandahar, but after much lobbying, Gul Agha was able to retain his governorship temporarily.
Split into simpler sentences: In August 2003, President Hamid Karzai decreed that officials could no longer hold both military and civil posts, and replaced Gul Agha with Yousef Pashtun as Governor of Kandahar. However, after much lobbying, Gul Agha was able to retain his governorship temporarily.