Taliban, Arabs clash in Kandahar

Published October 17, 2001

ISLAMABAD, Oct 16: The United Nations has said that some armed Arabs clashed with the Taliban police in Kandahar on Saturday in an attempt to loot the office of Islamic Relief Organization.

Speaking at a news conference here on Tuesday, the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan (UNOCHA) spokesperson, Stephanie Bunker said that the law and order situation was breaking down in Kandahar.

She said: “On Saturday some 20 armed non-Afghans forced their way into the office of Islamic Relief. When around 15 Taliban police intervened at the request of Islamic Relief, fighting broke out.”

To a question, she said, “when I say non-Afghans in this case I mean Arabs.” She said the nature of the clash is not clear, adding, the Islamic Relief discussed the situation with the authorities who expressed inability to guarantee their safety.

The UNOCHA spokesperson further said that some of the non- Afghans living on the outskirts of the Kandahar city and other places have begun moving into residential areas.

“They have allegedly taken over empty private residences as well as some aid agency offices and sometimes taken over possession of vehicles and office equipment.”

She said in Mazar-i-Sharif, the International Organization for Migration reported that their offices were looted on Monday night. The two IOM guards were robbed and beaten and the men who entered the office threatened to return.

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