Safety fears prompt some UN staff to evacuate Pakistan

31 Dec 2009
The United Nations will withdraw some of its staff from Pakistan because of safety concerns, a spokesman said on Thursday

At least 11 UN personnel in the country have been killed in attacks this year.

The move comes about two months after the UN decided to suspend long-term development work in volatile areas near the Afghan border. Both decisions could complicate international efforts to win hearts and minds in Pakistan, where a raging Taliban-led insurgency has killed over 500 people in the past two and a half months.

Around 20 per cent of the UN's expatriate workers will either leave the country for six months or be relocated to safer areas within Pakistan, said Ishrat Rizvi, a spokesman.

The world body will re-evaluate the security situation in six months, she said.

Despite military crackdowns, Taliban militants have been carrying out bombings that have spread from their strongholds along a lawless north-west tribal belt to major cities.

In October, a suicide bomber dressed as a paramilitary soldier blew himself up in an office of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Islamabad, killing five staff members.

The Taliban, who reject any ties with Western powers and want to impose their radical version of Islam, claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed 43 people in the commercial capital of Karachi on Monday and sparked riots.

"Pakistan is facing its most challenging time for the last few years. In light of this, the secretary-general decided to realign the projects and programmes of the United Nations in Pakistan," said Ms Rizvi.