U.N. union urges Afghan pullout

UNITED NATIONS – The bombing of a U.N. election office in Afghanistan that injured six policemen drew calls from a U.N. union Friday that the world body consider withdrawing staffers from the embattled nation.

The Staff Union urged for a security review and revamped safety measures for Afghanistan-based U.N. personnel, saying “the safety of staff remains the highest priority.”

“As we approach the election time, more than likely attacks will intensify,” said Guy Candusso, the union’s vice president. “We think the U.N. should consider suspending operations and rethink security before moving into the next critical phase of the election process.”

The union noted that other recent attacks on election workers have highlighted the danger. U.N. chief Kofi Annan said this week that violence has increasingly been aimed at U.N. staff and offices in Afghanistan.

Afghan voters are scheduled to elect a president on Oct. 9 and a parliament in April.

U.N. associate spokesman Stephane Dujarric, asked about a possible staff withdrawal from Afghanistan, said a U.N. security assessment mission recently returned from the country with specific recommendations which have been approved and are in the process of being implemented.

“The overall security in Afghanistan is in the process of being upgraded, both on a management and operational level,” he said. “Obviously, security is being examined on a daily basis in the country’s different regions. And as in every mission, we have to tailor our activities to the security conditions.”

In the latest attack targeting election workers, a series of bombs went off Thursday at a U.N. voter registration office in Farah City in western Afghanistan, near the border with Iraq. Six policemen were injured, two seriously, vehicles were set ablaze and windows shattered.

Police have detained four security guards, two Afghans working for the United Nations, and a U.N. security guard for questioning.

It was not clear who was behind the attack.

Taliban militants have been blamed for a series of attacks on workers preparing the country for its first presidential vote. Scores of election workers and civilians have been killed in the attacks.

The blasts occurred on the first anniversary of the bombing at U.N. headquarters in Iraq, which killed 22 people, including top U.N. envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello. That attack, and the subsequent investigation that criticized a “dysfunctional” U.N. security management system, has led to a major overhaul and rethinking of U.N. security worldwide.

In a speech in Geneva marking the anniversary, Annan said the United Nations was “wrestling with wrenching, fundamental questions” about its operations at a time when its staff and blue flag may have become “one of the main targets of political violence.”