UNITED NATIONS, Sept 14: The UN Security Council members on Monday condemned Sunday's violence in Herat, Afghanistan, where the regional offices and compounds of the United Nations mission and agencies and non-governmental organizations were ransacked and seriously damaged , forcing dozens of UN staff to be relocated to the capital Kabul.

In a press statement Ambassador Juan Antonio Yanez-Barnuevo of Spain, which holds this month's presidency, said Council members remained united in their determination to proceed with the presidential election scheduled for Oct 9.

The statement called on all parties in Afghanistan to do all they can to make sure the elections are "conducted in a peaceful and democratic way." The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has decided to relocate 38 of its staff from Herat, in the country's west.