Five Nepali guards and three others manning the UN office in northern Afghanistan were killed after demonstrators protesting a reported burning of the Muslim holy book stormed a UN office, Friday.

However, identities of those Nepalese killed have not been ascertained yet.

According to news agencies quoting Munir Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman in Balkh province, the protest in Mazar-i-Sharif began peacefully when several hundred demonstrators gathered outside the UN mission’s compound to denounce the Quran’s destruction.

It turned violent when some protesters grabbed weapons from the UN guards and opened fire on the police, then stormed the building, he said.

Gen Daud Daud, commander of Afghan National Police in several northern provinces, said those killed included five Nepalese guards who were working for the UN and two other foreigners employed at the complex. He said one other foreigner was wounded. Later, Rawof Taj, deputy police chief in Balkh province, said the injured individual had died.

Dan McNorton, a spokesman for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, confirmed that people working for the UN had died in an attack on the operation center, but he could not provide details.

“The situation is still confusing and we are currently working to ascertain all the facts and take care of all our staff,” he said from his office in Kabul.

Staffan de Mistura, the top UN official in Afghanistan, had left Kabul for Mazar-i-Sharif to personally handle the situation, he said.

Published on: 2 April 2011 | Republica