At Least 7 UN Staff Members Killed In Afghan Protest

Angry protesters stormed a UN compound in the northern town of Mazar e Sharif today, killing at least three foreign staffers and four UN security guards. 

Protesters reportedly forced their way past guards into UNAMA’s (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) regional office, infuriated by news that American Pastor Terry Jones had recently burnt the Quran.

The UN is still unable to confirm the number of Afghan who were killed in the attack or the ensuing response by police. UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporter Afghan mission chief Staffan de Mistura was on his way to Mazar e Sharif to ascertain all the facts surrounding the attack.

 The Secretary General’s spokesperson also said he couldn’t confirm reports that the UN staffers had been beheaded in the attack, but said his office had received worrying indications. In a press conference from Nairobi, Secretary General Ban Ki Moon condemned the attack as cowardly and unjustified. 

In 2009, an attack on a UN guest house in Kabul left 5 UN staff members dead, including former US Marine and UN security guard Louis Maxwell.