November 15, 2001	Thursday	Shaba’an 28, 1422

ISLAMABAD, Nov 14: The UN children’s fund said on Tuesday it was suspending aid convoys to Afghanistan after some trucks and employees were seized by soldiers of the Northern Alliance.

Chulho Hyun, UNICEF representative for Afghanistan, told a news briefing in Pakistan the organization was checking reports that two drivers from a commercial transport company that took a UNICEF aid convoy into the northern town of Mazar-i-Sharif might have been killed.

The Northern Alliance seized Mazar-i-Sharif from the Taliban on Friday in their first major victory of the US-led war and swept across the country, entering Kabul on Tuesday.

United Nations agencies say that some of their offices have been looted and that there are reports of atrocities in Mazar-i-Sharif since the city was taken by forces loyal to ethnic Uzbek warlord General Abdul Rashid Dostum.

United Nations officials in Islamabad said on Monday more than 100 Taliban fighters hiding in a school in Mazar-i-Sharif were killed after its capture.

Hyun said a 10-truck UNICEF convoy from the Pakistani city of Peshawar reached Mazar-i-Sharif on Saturday.

“UNICEF has learnt that the trucks were subsequently taken to a Northern Alliance commander’s base. Eight drivers, eight trucks and cargo inside are safe. The whereabouts of 6 employees and 2 trucks are currently unknown,” Hyun said.

He said there were unconfirmed reports that two drivers had been killed.

REFUGEE CAMP BESIEGED: He said there were also unconfirmed reports that forces of the Northern Alliance, which are mostly drawn from ethnic Uzbek and Tajik minorities, had besieged a camp for internally displaced Afghans from the majority Pashtun community near Afghanistan’s western border with Iran.

“If indeed this is the current situation, UNICEF would urge local authorities in Herat to take the necessary steps to guarantee the safety of camps’ residents.”

Herat, the major city in Afghanistan’s west, fell to the Northern Alliance earlier this week.

UN spokeswoman Stephanie Bunker told the news briefing the security situation in Mazar-i-Sharif seemed to be mixed with reports of tension among Northern Alliance troops drawn from various groups.

“The law and order situation in Mazar requires further improvement. There are still reports of bodies lying on the streets,” she said.

She said there were indications of looting and occupation of the premises of the United Nations and non-governmental organisations in the city.

“UN vehicles were seen being driven by the Northern Alliance commanders,” Bunker said.

Bunker said the situation in Kabul was calm.

“There have been no reports of shooting or bombing. The situation is getting back to normal. Shops are open and traffic is on the roads. There have been no incidents,” she said.—Reuters