UNAMA office in Mazar-i-Sharif reopens

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (PAN (UNAMA) in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif reopened on Thursday.

The office was closed in early April after a deadly attack that killed 10 foreign employees of the mission, when a protest against the burning of the holy Quran turned violent.

Another 12 people were injured after demonstrators stormed the office, firing at the guards and setting part of the compound on fire.

The reopening was announced in a statement from the Governor’s House, which said Staffan de Mistura, the UN secretary-general’s special representative for Afghanistan, had appointed the office head and workers.

At a meeting with Governor Atta Mohammad Noor, de Mistura said the security situation in Mazar-i-Sharif had considerably improved. After the reopening of its office, UNAMA would help Afghans with development projects in the north, he added.

According to the statement, the governor promised maximum security for UNAMA office and its staff in the city, which transitioned to Afghan forces last week.

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