UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution expressing alarm about ongoing eruptions of violence in Afghanistan as the battered country is just five months away from national elections.

The wide-ranging, 21-page resolution passed by consensus says that the world body ''stresses the need to continue to address the threat to the security and stability of Afghanistan caused by the ongoing violent and terrorist activity by the Taliban, Al Qaeda and other violent and extremist groups and other illegal armed groups and criminals, including those involved in the narcotics trade.''

It blames those outlaw and terrorist groups for ''the significant majority of civilian casualties.''

And while welcoming Afghanistan's efforts to curb corruption, the resolution ''stresses the importance of transparent appointment and promotion procedures for civil servants.''