UN Special Envoy: Staff In Afghanistan More Harassed And Intimidated Since Taliban Takes Power

Illustration of Taliban forces. (Wikimedia Commons/VOA)

JAKARTA - United Nations (UN) staff in Afghanistan have been increasingly subjected to harassment and intimidation since the Taliban came to power last month, UN special envoy for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons said on Thursday.

Lyons told the Security Council UN places have been largely respected, although there have been some exceptions.

"We are increasingly concerned by the increasing number of incidents of harassment and intimidation against our national staff. We will continue to do everything possible to support our staff and keep them out of harm's way," Lyons said.

An internal UN security document seen by Reuters on Aug. 25 describes dozens of incidents, including veiled threats, looting of UN offices and physical abuse of staff since Aug. 10, shortly before the Taliban came to power.

"The UN cannot do its job, a very important job for the Afghan people, if its personnel are subjected to intimidation, fear for their lives and unable to move freely," Lyons said.

While the Taliban have been trying to convince Afghan and Western powers that they will respect people's rights, reports of retaliation have undermined trust.

"We are outraged by reports that members of the Taliban have retaliated against UN staff across the country. This is completely unacceptable," senior US diplomat Jeffrey DeLaurentis told the Security Council.

He called on the Taliban to respect the independence and neutrality of the United Nations. He also said the United States had heard reports that some female UN staff and female staff of US aid partners had been barred from entering the office or asked to enter their workplaces with a male escort.

"Calling this reported incident 'outrageous' would be an understatement. All members of the UN staff should be able to do their jobs without undue burden and without discrimination as to who they are," DeLaurentis stressed.