Explosive device thrown during riot into UN compound in Afghanistan

A student demonstration in Afghanistan's south turned violent, with demonstrators throwing stones and, at one point, tossing an explosive device into the United Nations compound and setting fire to a guard post outside the building, the UN mission there reported today.

No UN staff members were hurt, although some vehicles inside the compound were damaged by the stone-throwing and the explosive device. The crowd was dispersed, and the situation in Jalalabad, in the country's south, has calmed.

A UN spokesperson in New York was asked about the deteriorating security situation in the country. Marie Okabe replied that today's incident was another reminder of the need for improved security in Afghanistan. "As the UN mission has repeatedly stated, improved security is particularly important in the context of the upcoming elections," she added.

When asked whether the UN has considered help from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), she noted that security was the responsibility of the Afghan authorities and the international forces. She added that there was no reason to believe that the United Nations was specifically targeted.