The bombing of the UN headquarters in Iraq continues to have serious repercussions, as the Washington Post reports that aid workers are leaving the country. "The United Nations announced a reduction of about a third of its Baghdad headquarters staff, the International Committee of the Red Cross said that an unspecified number of foreign workers would be withdrawn and other organizations considered changes in personnel or security arrangements."
The Post notes that "Typically, if the United Nations and Red Cross reduce services or personnel in dangerous countries, other aid organizations follow. In Baghdad, foreign relief groups were keeping a low profile. The only reports of a shutdown involved the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Each withdrew its small staff from Iraq Wednesday."
Reuters’ AlertNet -- a service of the news agency that keeps aid workers up-to-date on world events -- notes that even before the truck bombing, relief agencies were calling for better security. "The boundaries between the occupying force and the U.N. and the humanitarian community in Iraq is the most blurred it's ever been, anywhere we've ever worked," a spokesman for Oxfam said.
Back to top