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Afghanistan: armed escort accompanies UN mission from Kandahar to camps

Afghanistan: armed escort accompanies UN mission from Kandahar to camps

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Under new measures tailored to the fluctuating security situation in various parts of Afghanistan, armed escorts today accompanied a United Nations team which set out to visit internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country.

"I am happy to tell you this morning at eight o'clock the first road mission since these measures were taken left Kandahar city to go the IDP camp in Zhare Dasht in Kandahar province and to Lashkar Gah in Helmand province," Manoel de Almeida e Silva, a spokesman for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), told the press in Kabul.

Personnel from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP) were included on the team, which is slated to return to Kandahar city tonight.

"The armed escort is being provided by the Department of the Interior," Mr. de Almeida e Silva explained, adding that the UN would continue to work with the Afghan authorities to identify security requirements for specific areas.

In another development, UN officials accompanied a delegation which left today for Imam Sahib District in Kunduz to assess the facts surrounding a longstanding land dispute between the Uzbek and Turkmen residents of that area.

Turkmen have traditionally owned the pastureland and are holders of a legal deed to it dating back 60 years, according to UNAMA. The Uzbeks, who moved there from Kalafgan in Takhar Province 20 years ago, also say they have a legal right to the land based in part on their claim of having paid taxes to local commanders in the area.

"Tensions are high, as both parties wish to exercise their legal right to remain," the spokesman said. "Fortunately the matter is being taken forward in a peaceful fashion, and while there is no danger of escalation into conflict at the moment, the situation still needs to be closely monitored and solutions found that are acceptable to both parties."