Home
News
In Focus
Business
Metro
Nation
World
Sports
Feature
Opinion
View more »Opinion Columns
Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
Restaurants get off to a quick start thanks to game-changing policies
High service charges on event ticket refunds call for further regulation
Sunday
- Subscribe
Related News
UN to boost Afghan security after Kabul attack
Source: Agencies |
October 30, 2009, Friday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
THE United Nations plans to boost its security staff in Afghanistan after Taliban militants' deadly attack on a UN guesthouse earlier this week, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday.
The additional security units were needed in Afghanistan to meet the "dramatically escalated threat to UN staff now widely considered to be a soft target," Ban told reporters after briefing the UN Security Council behind closed doors.
He declined to say how many more security officers would be needed, though he said it was likely that both UN and private security would be sent to protect staff in Afghanistan, where five UN workers were killed on Wednesday when Taliban militants attacked a UN guesthouse in Kabul.
"Increasingly, the UN is being targeted, in this case precisely because of our support for the Afghan elections," he said, referring to the Nov. 7 run-off presidential election.
He said that Afghanistan and its neighbor Pakistan had become the most dangerous place on the planet for the United Nations' civilian staff.
"Not counting peacekeepers, 27 UN civilian personnel have lost their lives to violence so far this year, more than half of them in Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said.
Among the short-term measures that would be implemented in Afghanistan, Ban said, is to consolidate UN workers spread across the country.
Ban said he asked for and received the Security Council's support. He added that he would urge the UN General Assembly on Friday to approve his request for additional security, which diplomats said would require extra funding.
The secretary-general said he spoke with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who assured him that security would be tightened for the United Nations in Afghanistan. He also appealed to the U.S.-led international forces in Afghanistan for help.
"Primary responsibility for the safety and security of UN staff falls on the Afghanistan government," said Ban. "But at the same time we need support from the Afghanistan security forces as well as the international community."
Ban said he would meet on Friday with the heads of all UN funds and agencies to review the "evolving security environment" at all of the world body's facilities.
Earlier on Thursday, Ban's spokeswoman Michele Montas was asked if there was a possibility that Afghanistan's Nov. 7 vote could be postponed, Montas said: "As far as I know, no."
"We're still continuing our electoral support," she said.
The resurgent Taliban have vowed to disrupt the Afghan run-off election as U.S. President Barack Obama weighs whether to send more troops to Afghanistan to fight an insurgency that has reached its fiercest level in eight years.
The additional security units were needed in Afghanistan to meet the "dramatically escalated threat to UN staff now widely considered to be a soft target," Ban told reporters after briefing the UN Security Council behind closed doors.
He declined to say how many more security officers would be needed, though he said it was likely that both UN and private security would be sent to protect staff in Afghanistan, where five UN workers were killed on Wednesday when Taliban militants attacked a UN guesthouse in Kabul.
"Increasingly, the UN is being targeted, in this case precisely because of our support for the Afghan elections," he said, referring to the Nov. 7 run-off presidential election.
He said that Afghanistan and its neighbor Pakistan had become the most dangerous place on the planet for the United Nations' civilian staff.
"Not counting peacekeepers, 27 UN civilian personnel have lost their lives to violence so far this year, more than half of them in Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said.
Among the short-term measures that would be implemented in Afghanistan, Ban said, is to consolidate UN workers spread across the country.
Ban said he asked for and received the Security Council's support. He added that he would urge the UN General Assembly on Friday to approve his request for additional security, which diplomats said would require extra funding.
The secretary-general said he spoke with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who assured him that security would be tightened for the United Nations in Afghanistan. He also appealed to the U.S.-led international forces in Afghanistan for help.
"Primary responsibility for the safety and security of UN staff falls on the Afghanistan government," said Ban. "But at the same time we need support from the Afghanistan security forces as well as the international community."
Ban said he would meet on Friday with the heads of all UN funds and agencies to review the "evolving security environment" at all of the world body's facilities.
Earlier on Thursday, Ban's spokeswoman Michele Montas was asked if there was a possibility that Afghanistan's Nov. 7 vote could be postponed, Montas said: "As far as I know, no."
"We're still continuing our electoral support," she said.
The resurgent Taliban have vowed to disrupt the Afghan run-off election as U.S. President Barack Obama weighs whether to send more troops to Afghanistan to fight an insurgency that has reached its fiercest level in eight years.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
