Aid groups vow to stay in Afghanistan despite U.N. pulling out expat staff

By Nita Bhalla

NEW DELHI (AlertNet) - A U.N. decision to temporarily relocate more than half its expatriate staff following a deadly attack in Afghanistan has hurt morale among aid groups working there but not enough for any of them to follow suit.

Aid agencies said last month's Taliban attack which killed six U.N. staff in Kabul had forced an extensive security review with many of them considering employing more guards in field offices or using alternative routes for aid delivery. However, they said they had no intention of pulling out staff.

"We've working in Afghanistan for the past 20 years on meeting humanitarian and development needs and have no plans to discontinue this work or relocate our staff," said Ashley Jackson, communications officer for Oxfam in Afghanistan.

The United Nations announced last Thursday plans to temporarily relocate 600 of its 1,100 expat staff within and outside the country after Taliban suicide bombers hiding explosive vests under police uniforms entered a guesthouse used by U.N. staff, killing six on Oct. 28.

Afghanistan is trying to emerge from three decades of conflict, but fighting between Islamist Taliban insurgents and Afghan and NATO-led international forces still rages in parts of the country, hampering relief and reconstruction.

The United Nations said its decision would not affect frontline humanitarian services since staff critical to the delivery of aid would remain in place.

Despite such assurances, aid workers and analysts said the U.N. decision would weigh on the aid community and slow down coordination efforts in Afghanistan where hundreds of aid groups are working to deliver everything from food, water and shelter to roads and schools to locals plagued by decades of conflict.

"Obviously, when there is a decision to withdraw certain staff or temporarily relocate them, that does shake the confidence of the aid community," said Sarah Bailey, research officer at the London-based Overseas Development Institute.