- News>
- World
UN planning to withdraw from Iraq
United Nations, Aug 30: With the security situation worsening in Iraq, the UN plans to withdraw ninety per cent of its international staff stationed there.
United Nations, Aug 30: With the security situation worsening in Iraq, the UN plans to withdraw ninety per cent of its international staff stationed there.
The world body plans to withdraw 90 per cent of
international staff, leaving only about 40 to 50 essential
personnel, UN officials said.
The reassessment of staff deployment began immediately after truck bombing of the united nations headquarters in Baghdad on August 19 in which the world body's top official in the country Sergio de Mello was among the 23 people who were killed.
At that time, the United Nations had 300 international staff in Baghdad and an equal number in the rest of the country. Since then the number has come to around 100 for Baghdad.
The attack outside one of the Shiite Islamic shrine in the Iraqi city of Najaf which killed 82 people including a top Muslim cleric, has also intensified discussion as to how to ensure security of UN staff stationed in the war-ravaged country.
The staff union is demanding immediate suspension of the world body operations which are at present mainly humanitarian till the security situation improves.
Had there been no bombing, the number of international staff would have progressively gone up as the United Nations expanded its activities. Bureau Report
The reassessment of staff deployment began immediately after truck bombing of the united nations headquarters in Baghdad on August 19 in which the world body's top official in the country Sergio de Mello was among the 23 people who were killed.
At that time, the United Nations had 300 international staff in Baghdad and an equal number in the rest of the country. Since then the number has come to around 100 for Baghdad.
The attack outside one of the Shiite Islamic shrine in the Iraqi city of Najaf which killed 82 people including a top Muslim cleric, has also intensified discussion as to how to ensure security of UN staff stationed in the war-ravaged country.
The staff union is demanding immediate suspension of the world body operations which are at present mainly humanitarian till the security situation improves.
Had there been no bombing, the number of international staff would have progressively gone up as the United Nations expanded its activities. Bureau Report