2009-06-23

Three staff members of a UNHCR implementing partner killed in Afghanistan

Two separate security incidents involving UNHCR took place in Afghanistan in the past 24 hours.
In the most serious, which occurred at 7:00 AM local time on 23 June in Jowzjan Province, three Afghan staff of the local non-governmental organization Development and Humanitarian Services for Afghanistan, or DHSA, were killed when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device, or IED, while en route to a project site.

DHSA is a long-time implementing partner of UNHCR and provides shelter to returning refugeesNo one has claimed responsibility. UNHCR deeply regrets this loss of life and has communicated its condolences to DHSA and the victims’ families. In a separate incident, which took place at 16:30 local time on 22 June on the road from Lagham to Jalalabad, vehicles carrying three UNHCR staff and one employee of the World Food Programme were overtaking a military convoy when one of the military convoy vehicles exploded. More details are not yet available but the UN staff suffered no injuries and returned to base without further incident.