UN Employees Face Harassment, ‘Fear for Their Lives’ in Afghanistan

Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons delivers a statement during the 2020 Afghanistan donor conference hosted by the U.N. in Geneva, Switzerland, on Nov. 24, 2020. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

United Nations employees in Afghanistan are being subjected to “harassment and intimidation” at the hands of the Taliban following the terrorist group’s swift takeover of the war-torn nation in August, according to U.N. staff members.

“We are, however, increasingly worried by the growing number of incidents of harassment and intimidation against our national staff,” U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan Deborah Lyons said in a Sept. 9 statement.