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UN sends medical supplies to help Afghanistan bombing victims

UN sends medical supplies to help Afghanistan bombing victims

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has arranged a convoy and sent medical supplies to help the victims of yesterday’s bombing in Uruzgan province, a spokesman for the Mission said today in Kabul.

UNAMA has learned with great sadness of the casualties that have occurred yesterday,” Manoel de Almeida e Silva said at a press briefing. “We express our deep condolences to the families of the victims and all those that were affected by this tragic incident.”

The Mission has offered the Afghan authorities any assistance that might be needed, Mr. de Almeida e Silva said. Last night the UNAMA office in Kandahar met with the provincial governor to discuss specific contributions and has helped to arrange a government convoy to Tirin Kot, capital of Uruzgan, with medical supplies provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

That convoy is carrying supplies donated by the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) for the hospitals in Kandahar and has also been joined by a truck from the International Office of Migration (IOM), the spokesman said.

“We have taken note of the joint investigation under way by the Transitional Administration and US forces,” Mr. de Almeida e Silva said. “We expect that it will provide full clarification on the circumstances of the incident.”

Meanwhile, UN deminers were at work clearing unexploded ordinance from last week’s explosion at an ammunition dump near the Pakistan border.

About 60 persons from the Mine Action Clearance for Afghanistan (MACA) were working at the site in Spin Boldak, Mr. de Almeida e Silva said, adding that the entire area would be cleared within the next 10 days. The ammunition compound itself will take up to one month to clear as Afghan soldiers were working in close cooperation with UN and non-governmental organization staff.