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UN officials in Afghanistan head to Jalalabad to assess security following demonstrations

UN officials in Afghanistan head to Jalalabad to assess security following demonstrations

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United Nations officials in Afghanistan are headed for Jalalabad to assess the security situation there after protests in the city turned violent, a spokesman for the world body said today.

“The public demonstrations throughout Afghanistan in recent days have caused some tense moments, not only for international staff but also Afghans living in the cities where these unfortunate events took place,” Richard Provencher told reporters in the capital Kabul.

While recognizing the right for people to demonstrate peacefully, he recalled that the senior UN envoy to Afghanistan, Jean Arnault, has strongly condemned violence and attacks against the UN and its partners.

Earlier on Sunday, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Filippo Grandi, along with the head of security, left for Jalalabad to assess the security situation.

“Of course, there has been a reduction of UN activities in these areas, but we hope to get to a full recovery shortly,” Mr. Provencher said.