UN Spokesperson Confirms Attacking of Demining OfficeUN Spokesperson in Islamabad Stephanie Bunker on Tuesday confirmed that Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC), a UN-funded demining office, was bombed during the second wave of US-led air attacks late Monday night.The spokesperson told a press conference here that four civilians were killed during the attack. "All four died on the spot and pieces of their bodies are still to be recovered from the wreckage," Bunker said. The building of Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC), which has been entirely destroyed, was located in eastern Kabul's civilian area, not far from a Taliban communications tower that may have been a target in Monday night's raid, according to Bunker. She said the U.N. coordinator for Afghanistan has appealed to the international community to protect innocent civilians while military strikes are going on. "People need to distinguish between combatants and those innocent civilians who do not bear arms," Bunker said. ATC is a U.N.-funded demining organization and a very old mine action program in Afghanistan, one of the world's most heavily mined countries. It started demining works in early 1990's with a total staff of 35. |
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