UN envoy in Afghanistan condemns murder of governor in southeastern province

The senior United Nations envoy to Afghanistan today condemned the assassination of the governor of Pakia province in the country's troubled southeast.

Abdul Hakim Tanaiwal was apparently killed in a suicide bombing along with members of his entourage and several other people. “The murder of Mr. Tanaiwal is entirely beyond my understanding,” said Tom Koenigs. “I condemn it.”

He noted that professor Tanaiwal had returned to Afghanistan from Australia following the collapse of the Taliban to help rebuild his homeland.

“His death is a great loss to the people of Paktia, to the people of the Tani tribe – of which he was a leader, and to the country as a whole,” the UN envoy said. “He and I worked together, there was trust and respect between us, and we had much in common.”