U.N. tells its staff members to no longer resist looting of its aid offices in Afghanistan

Associated Press

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The United Nations told its Afghan staffers to give up any attempt to defend U.N. aid offices in Afghanistan, saying increasing looting and attacks made it too dangerous.

"There is a decline in law and order, less and less contact with staff, and almost daily reports of offices looted … and staff beaten," Antonio Donini, a U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, told reporters.

U.N. officials were trying urgently to get word to local staffers in Afghanistan not to resist any future raids on U.N. property.

U.N. relief agencies and other international aid groups have reported escalating looting by soldiers of the Taliban regime and other armed bands in the two weeks since U.S.-led airstrikes began.

Foreign aid workers pulled out of Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. The United States blames the terror attacks on Osama bin Laden and his Taliban hosts in Afghanistan.

U.N. agencies previously had told local staffers to try to safeguard U.N. operations if they could do so safely, Donini said. Now, he said, the directive had changed to simply protecting their own lives.

Donini detailed attacks on aid operations in much of Taliban territory. In Kunduz province in the north, reports filtering out indicated all U.N. offices and almost all private humanitarian operations had been looted, he said.

A U.N. mine-removal organization in Afghanistan had seen about half of its 80 vehicles stolen, he said.

In Mazar-e-Sharif, the Taliban headquarters in the north, the local Taliban governor was reported to be trying to restrain attacks on aid operations, Donini said. The situation was less dire in Kabul, where a convoy of donated wheat got through last week, and in the eastern city of Jalalabad, officials said.

Last week, the Taliban commandeered two warehouses run by the U.N. World Food Program that contained almost half of its wheat stores in Afghanistan. One warehouse in Kabul was returned, but there was no word of the other, in the southern city of Kandahar.

Medecins sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders, ceased medical relief programs in Mazar-e-Sharif and Kandahar last week after offices there were sacked of medicine, medical equipment and vehicles.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said the looting posed an increasing threat to aid workers and the Afghan civilians they were trying to help. The rights group also urged greater care in the U.S.-led air campaign after a U.S. bomb hit two International Red Cross warehouses in Kabul.

Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Alina Langbehn, 6, center, and Vera A., 6, right, sit on a swing together at Drew Nielsen Neighborhood Park after school on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council votes to renovate Drew Nielsen Park

Construction on the $345,000 upgrade could start as early as this fall.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

Lynnwood councilor Joshua Binda speaks during a Lynnwood City Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Does the Lynnwood Council VP live in Lynnwood? It’s hard to say.

Josh Binda’s residency has been called into question following an eviction and FEC filings listing an Everett address. He insists he lives in Lynnwood.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

An American Robin picks a berry from a holly tree on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Calling all birders for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count

The Audubon Society will hold its 28th annual Great Backyard… Continue reading

A view of one of the potential locations of the new Aquasox stadium on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. The site sits between Hewitt Avenue, Broadway, Pacific Avenue and the railroad. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Initial prep work for AquaSox stadium to start, with $200k price tag

The temporary agreement allows some surveying and design work as the city negotiates contracts with designers and builders.

Aaron Kennedy / The Herald
The Joann Fabric and Crafts store at 7601 Evergreen Way, Everett, is one of three stores in Snohomish County that will close as part of the retailer’s larger plan to shutter more than half of its stores nationwide.
Joann store closure plan includes Everett, Arlington, Lynnwood locations

The retail giant filed a motion in court to close approximately 500 stores in the U.S.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.