U.N. Pulls Foreign Workers Out of Afghan City of Kandahar

[tekisui]

Source: LA Times

Local staffers were also told to stay home. The decisions reflect the perilous state of security in Afghanistan’s second-largest city, where two civilians were killed in explosions Monday.

Reflecting the sharply deteriorating security situation in Kandahar, Afghanistan's second-largest metropolis, the United Nations on Monday pulled foreign staff out of the city and instructed hundreds of local employees not to come to work.

The move came on the same day as a series of explosions in the city killed two civilians.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces have set their sights on Kandahar with the aim of driving the Taliban out of the city this summer. Kandahar, home to about 1 million people, is the hub of the country's south and the insurgency's spiritual home.

Most of the 30,000 arriving American troop reinforcements are being deployed in Afghanistan's south, and many will take part in the offensive, which is already in its early stages. Troops are trying to clear insurgents from districts surrounding the city, and have been hunting mid-level Taliban field commanders.

Taliban fighters, in turn, have ratcheted up attacks around the city, assassinating government officials and workers for international organizations. Last week, the city's respected deputy mayor was gunned down as he prayed in a mosque.

more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/asia/la-fg-afghan-attack-20100427,0,7898887.story