Afghanistan: attack on UN premises prompts local authorities to post armed guards

The first attack against United Nations premises in Afghanistan since last year's Bonn Agreement paved the way for an expanded international presence in the country has prompted local authorities to post armed guards outside all UN premises in Kandahar, a spokesman for the world body reported today.

The grenade attack against the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Thursday caused only light damage to the building façade, but no injuries or deaths, according to spokesman Fred Eckhard, who reported that no one has yet been apprehended during the ongoing investigation of the incident.

On Friday, the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, visited Kandahar where local officials assured him that similar attacks would not take place again, the spokesman said.

Mr. Brahimi was accompanied by representatives of several UN agencies as well as Afghan authorities.