UMM QASR, May 2: The United Nations has stopped using its trademark white vehicles in Iraq after some were stolen and used against US-led troops, a UN official said on Friday.

The United Nations is now using dark blue cars with the world body’s insignia in orange, instead of white cars with the UN symbol in blue.

“During the fighting, some of the UN cars were used to attack coalition forces,” said Russel Ulrey, emergency operations coordinator for the World Food Programme (WFP).

“For security reasons, the decision has been taken to use a distinctly different colour than our traditional one for all our re-entry activities,” he told AFP.

He said a former car park used by the UN was looted after expatriate staff left Iraq in March. Only some of the vehicles have been recovered, Ulrey said.

Country representatives of the major UN agencies returned Thursday to Baghdad after waiting out the war in Cyprus for security reasons.—AFP