U.N. Raps Taliban For Creating Hurdles For Relief Work
ISLAMABAD, May 18 (News Agencies) - The United Nations Friday slammed Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia for arresting staff and creating "obstacles" to relief operations despite a major humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged country.
U.N. Coordinator for Afghanistan Erick de Mul said the abuse and harassment of U.N. staff by the Islamic militia must stop.
"We are not prepared to tolerate abuses against our staff. National [Afghan] staff form the backbone of the assistance effort in Afghanistan, without whom all assistance would halt," he said.
"The recent pattern of violations of the security protocol represents a general narrowing of space available for humanitarian agencies to operate effectively.
"It is unconscionable that this is occurring precisely when the humanitarian crisis is rapidly deepening, and when the assistance community is trying to increase assistance to the needy Afghans."
His office, based in neighboring Pakistan, said U.N. staff were denied access to areas in central Afghanistan's Hazarajat region, where heavy fighting had displaced more than 60,000 people in recent months.
Of particular concern was Yakawlang district in Hazarajat, which has been the focus of successful Taliban offensives recently and where the militia was accused of massacring some 300 civilians earlier this year.
The Sunni-dominated Taliban seized Yakawlang earlier this month from an armed group representing the minority Shiite Muslim community, based mainly in the Hazarajat region.
"Unsubstantiated allegations including charges of 'immoral behavior,' harassment, arrests and even physical abuse of humanitarian personnel are on the upswing," De Mul's office said in a statement.
It said the authorities recently arrested U.N. and non-governmental organization (NGO) staff in the capital Kabul and in the western city of Herat.
"Both national and international staff have been subjected to harassment," it said.
The statement accused the Taliban of violating a 1998 security protocol and a memorandum of understanding that allowed the world body to continue its humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
It said De Mul had tried to contact Taliban officials in their southern stronghold of Kandahar "but to no avail."
The U.N. does not recognize the Taliban regime, which controls most of Afghanistan and is criticized for widespread violations of human rights.
The regime has angrily protested over fresh Security Council sanctions imposed on Taliban leaders in January for their refusal to hand over Osama bin Laden.
Millions of Afghans are facing famine this year due to the combined effects of the civil war and the worst drought in memory.
