Heavy fighting in the northwest leaves 13 dead, curtails aid

United Nations and international aid agencies were forced to close their offices when severe fighting between two rival groups in Meymaneh, the capital of the northwestern province of Faryab, erupted on Tuesday afternoon. "The fighting began between Jamiat [Jamiat-i Islami or Islamic Society led by Burhanuddin Rabbani] and Jonbesh [Jonbesh-e Melli-ye Eslami or National Islamic Movement led by Abdul Rashid Dostam] following the killing of a high-ranking Jamiat commander in the city," Manoel de Almeida e Silva, a spokesman of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA), told IRIN in the capital, Kabul, noting that at least 13 people, including two civilians, had been killed and 17 injured in the skirmishes. The UN has been able to broker an agreement between the two armed factions, and the initiative called for withdrawal of troops from Meymaneh city. "UNAMA have been in contact with the Security Commission of the north, and immediately deployed to facilitate the resolution of the fighting," the UN spokesman said, adding that the fighting had also continued during the night before an initial ceasefire was brokered early on Wednesday morning. According to UNAMA, a team from both Gen Fauzi of Jonbesh and Gen Sabour of Jamiat, the two most senior members of the Security Commission, had travelled to the scene to broker an agreement between the two sides. Soon after the ceasefire came into effect, a demonstration involving 400 people was staged by local residents of the city, demanding disarmament. "It took place in front of the governor's office and the UNAMA office in Meymaneh," De Almeida e Silva said, noting that reports indicated that the situation was now calm and there had been no gunfire since Wednesday afternoon. According to the UN, Meymaneh is a location where disarmament, which had been facilitated by the Security Commission, stalled some two months ago due to problems over coordination. "The situation in Meymaneh has been described as tense but calm, and it continues to be closely monitored," the spokesman said, adding that expatriates from the UN and aid agencies and their national staff who were not from Meymaneh had left the city for Mazar-e Sharif. Since last year, similar clashes have erupted many times between supporters of rival warlords in Afghanistan's volatile north. The UN has said such conflicts often had a direct effect on the capacity of aid delivery to vulnerable communities.