U.N. to pull out 900 staff from Afghanistan - source

Thu, Nov 5 10:55 AM

Enlarge Photo United Nations special envoy to Afghanistan Kai Eide during a commemoration ceremony for two of...

The United Nations will evacuate 900 of its international staff from Afghanistan starting Thursday, citing security concerns, a U.N. source in Kabul said.

Taliban militants killed five foreign U.N. staff in an attack at their international guest house in the capital on Oct. 28.

"The United Nations is reducing the number of its international staff from 1,300 to 400, effective immediately," the source told Reuters.

The U.N. source said the world body would determine how much staff were necessary to run on-going programmes.

"We will be looking at bringing people back as soon as the security situation allows and secure accommodation is found," the source said. "Instead of having people dotted around the city, they will be consolidated."

A U.N. statement emailed to Reuters said it would not make details of the new measures public, adding: "It is expected that they will involve short-term relocations for some staff while additional security is being put in place."

(Reporting by Jonathon Burch; Writing by Yara Bayoumy)

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