The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is re-locating about 600 international following last week’s brazen attack on a UN compound which killed five international UN workers. From the UN News Center:
“Effective immediately, the United Nations is taking additional steps to reduce risks to its national and international staff serving in Afghanistan. This is in light of the 28 October attack against UN staff in Kabul as well as further ongoing threats,” the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement.
“Although details of the new measures can not be made public, it is expected that they will involve short-term relocation for some staff while additional security is being put in place,” the statement added.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on the guest house in Kabul, where 34 UN staffers were staying.
The UN has some 6,000 people working across the country, including 1,100 international staff.
The Washington Post has more. I would just add that this move makes sense given the fact that the UN itself has become a preferred target of insurgents in the Af/Pak conflict. Beyond Afghanistam, 11 UN workers have been killed in Pakistan this year, including five people killed in a suicide attack against a World Food Program office in Pakistan last month. It has become very hard, if not impossible, for the UN to do its job in the region.