Afghan UN worker shot dead in western Afghanistan

KABUL, Mar 6 (Reuters) An Afghan working for the United Nations was shot dead in western Afghanistan over the weekend, a provincial governor said today.

The killing took place in the Zairkoa area on the border between Farah province and neighboring Herat yesterday, said Farah Gov Ezatullah Wasfi. The victim, identified by the United Nations as Mohammad Hashim, worked for the UN human settlements agency HABITAT, he said.

Hashim, who worked for a program helping rehabilitate and rebuild villages in the Bala Buluk District, was visiting project sites when six armed men stopped his car, dragged him from the vehicle and shot him, said Tom Koenigs, the UN special envoy for Afghanistan.

''The death of such a treasured colleague will be a matter of enormous sadness to those who knew him and to all who care about Afghanistan's rebuilding,'' Koenigs said in a statement.

The The governor said it was unclear if the killing was the work of Taliban insurgents or provoked by a tribal rivalry.

Two UN staff members were killed in Afghanistan last year, but attacks by Taliban insurgents on aid workers have declined while those on government officials and security forces have increased.

REUTERS VJ RAI0037