UN 'to scale back' Afghan mission

[Turborama]

Source: Al Jazeera English

The United Nations is preparing to announce the withdrawal of a number of its foreign staff operating in Afghanistan, Al Jazeera has learned.

The move comes a week after five UN personnel were killed in a Taliban attack in Kabul.

Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from the Afghan capital on Thursday, said the order could happen within days following the approval of Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general.

"It looks like the UN may be on the verge of pulling out two thirds of its international staff; those who remain will be moved to secure accommodation compounds," our correspondent said. "We've heard from high-level sources that this would be a radical reduction in operations. The UN staff would be reduced in all agencies, not just the political one - Unama, but the world food programme, the refugee agency, UNHCR. It will send a big signal to all the other NGOs that are working in this country, to review their security situation."

=snip=

A UN statement said the new measures would involve short-term relocations for some staff while additional security was put in place. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama) is composed of roughly 1,100 foreign personnel working across the country, in addition to about 5,600 local staff. Their duties range from providing security and co-ordinating aid to monitoring human rights conditions.

Our correspondent said the UN is planning to set up a new hub in Dubai. But he said the scaling back of the world body's mission in Afghanistan could be an "explosive decision" because the international staff are necessary to make things work on the ground.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/11/2009115442855312.html

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More on this in James Bays' blog: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/asia/2009/11/05/un-exodus">UN exodus

[Vidar]

1. For a moment I thought that said US, but we're not that bright.

[Paper Roses]

2. Another reason to bring our troops home now.

We will be fighting this uncalled for war by ourselves, just like Iraq. Why is it so hard for the government to realize that the American people di not want these wars. No-one benefits except the corporations. Iraq looses, we loose, Afghanistan will lose. Halliburton and Blackwater will be the only winners.