U.N. May Have to Abandon Afghan Effort

[SoCalDem]

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20031212104509990001

U.N. May Have to Abandon Afghan Effort
Top Official Says Security Falling Short
By STEPHEN GRAHAM, AP

KABUL, Afghanistan (Dec. 12) - The United Nations - already forced out of Iraq by suicide bombers - may have to abandon its two-year effort to stabilize Afghanistan because of rising violence blamed on the Taliban, its top official here warned Friday in an interview with The Associated Press.

Lakhdar Brahimi said his team could not continue its work in this war-ravaged nation unless security improves. He called for more foreign troops to halt attacks that have killed at least 11 aid workers across the south and east since March.
''Countries that are committed to supporting Afghanistan cannot kid themselves and cannot go on expecting us to work in unacceptable security conditions,'' Brahimi said.

..........snip...........

[demdave]

1. They have more practice at running away than at peace keeping.

Yet another example of the uselessness of the U.N.

[NickB79]

2. Hardly the UN's fault

That the US failed to properly secure the area and leave sufficient troops to patrol it to ensure that the UN workers there are protected. We're not talking about military forces being attacked, but mainly relief workers never meant to see combat.

[demdave]

4. So explain to me how the U.N. could EVER control Iraq

if we pulled out of there?? They couldn't stay in Somalia, they couldn't stay in Haiti, they couldn't stay in Chechnya, they couldn't stay in West Timor. It is a well known fact that all you have to do is kill or kidnap a couple of U.N. officials and watch them run. How in the world is this an organization that can be called on to keep the peace anywhere? Their track record proves my point. The only times they have ever been even remotely successful is after the U.S. established peace in the first place.

[alfredo]

5. There is a difference. You have aid workers, and you have

peace keepers (blue helmets). The aid workers help with infrastructure, the peace keepers go into stabilized areas and keep the parties in the conflict apart. They also act a police in areas where there is not a police force.

Mostly what you see leaving are unarmed aid workers. It is not a failure of the UN, but a failure of the security forces who are supposed to ensure their safety.

[Gloria]

3. Related story...many moons ago I posted a story about the deployment

of German troops in Afghanistan in the World Media Watch.
They were going into already fairly stablized areas and aid workers were concerned because they were afraid the locals would be spooked and lump the aid workers in with the soldiers, thus increasing the danger to the aid workers. The various groups in there were asking the question "if you're sending soldiers, why not deploy them in the areas that AREN'T
stablized instead of sending them into areas that are???"

[tlb]

6. Totally undercuts every one who says Iraq should be turned over to UN.

What would be the point when the first instinct of the UN is to run the moment things get though ?