Afghanistan: UN official voices outrage at suicide attacks on international forces

The senior United Nations official in Afghanistan today voiced shock and outrage at a spate of suicide attacks against the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), pledging that efforts to restore peace to the war-ravaged country will continue.

The Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Jean Arnault, released a statement resolutely condemning the attacks of yesterday and today and voicing solidarity with the families and friends of the ISAF and Afghan victims.

“The attackers aimed at ISAF, but they also, no doubt, hoped to undermine the momentum that the peace process in Afghanistan has gathered in the wake of the adoption of the new Constitution,” he said. “We are certain that they will not succeed and that the overwhelming majority of Afghans will see in these attacks new reasons to reject violence and to stay the course towards the restoration of a lasting peace.”

Mr. Arnault also reaffirmed that the UN “will not be deterred from assisting the country in achieving this long overdue goal.”