Afghan urged to halt attacks on UNICEF worker

United Nations, May 16: Condemning a recent terrorist attack on a UNICEF vehicle in Afghanistan, the Security Council has urged the country's authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The Council's call, which came yesterday, followed similar reactions from the senior UN envoy to Afghanistan, Tom Koenigs, and UNICEF chief Ann Veneman after the car travelling between Badghis and Herat was attacked on Friday.

UNICEF driver Sirajuddin Noorzai and an Afghan doctor working with a German medical NGO were killed instantly, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said. A second UNICEF staff member, Qasim Nazari, was seriously wounded and has been undergoing emergency treatment in Herat.

''The members of the Security Council were shocked by this terrorist attack in the province of Herat on May 12, and condemned the attack in the strongest terms,'' Security Council President Basile Ikouebe of the Republic of the Congo said in a statement.

''The Council members reiterated their concern at the increasing threat to the local population, national security forces, international military and international assistance efforts, and stressed the importance of the security and safety of the United Nations staff,'' he said.

UNI