UN staff in Kabul relocated

The UN is temporarily relocating more than half its international staff in Afghanistan after last week’s deadly Taliban attack on UN workers.

Five foreign staff and three Afghans were killed when suicide bombers attacked a private guesthouse where UN workers lived.

The UN says some 600 non-essential staff will be moved to more secure locations.

Kai Eide, the UN special envoy to Afghanistan, said: “We have one clear message and that is we will continue our work in Afghanistan. The security situation has worsened. We have stepped up our security measures gradually, as we have seen the security situation become more difficult.

“We have to do more and this is, in my view, a responsible way of bringing people temporarily out, and then they will be back and we will continue our work.”

Elsewhere, angry villagers have protested against what they said was the killing of 11 civilians by foreign troops. Local authorities say only fighters were killed.

Meanwhile, media reports in Britain say the rogue Afghan policeman, who killed five British soldiers at a checkpoint, is back with Taliban fighters… who greeted him with flowers.

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tags: Afghanistan, Security, United Nations