UN mission in Afghanistan urges Taliban to probe compound attack

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) urged the Taliban on Sunday to carry out a full investigation and provide answers concerning a recent attack on its main compound in the capital of the western province of Herat.

An Afghan police guard was killed when the United Nations compound came under attack in Herat on Friday, officials said, as fighting raged between government forces and the Taliban on the outskirts of the western city.

It was not immediately clear who attacked the compound but the Taliban put the incident down to possible crossfire.

"It is possible that guards could have sustained harm in crossfire due to close proximity of the office to the fighting," the insurgents' spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on Twitter.

“Perpetrators of the attack that killed an Afghan guard need to be held accountable,” said the UNAMA in a statement.

It said the UN as a civilian entity in Afghanistan —focused on supporting peace efforts, promoting the rights of all Afghans and providing critical humanitarian assistance — needs to be able to carry out its work without threats or violence.

“The UN has communicated its grave and mounting concerns given the further violent occurrences at the Herat base on Saturday, as well as other recent incidents involving UN personnel and assets elsewhere in Afghanistan,” it added.

The attack, involving rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire, happened hours after Taliban fighters penetrated deep into Herat city.

It also came as US-led foreign forces near a complete withdrawal of troops and Afghan security forces struggle to hold back Taliban fighters in three major provincial capitals.

(With input from agencies)