UN workers return to Afghanistan

The first group of United Nations workers has returned to Afghanistan, a few days after pulling out because of tough new UN sanctions imposed on the Taleban government.

One UN official, who flew in from neighbouring Pakistan, said he was happy to be back and was convinced he and his colleagues did not face any threats to their security.

Other UN staff are due to return shortly.

About sixty UN workers were withdrawn from Afghanistan last week as a precaution against possible reprisals by the local community after the UN Security Council imposed new sanctions on the government for its refusal to hand over the Saudi-dissident, Osama bin Laden.

But the Taleban leadership asked their supporters to bear the sanctions with fortitude and banned demonstrations.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service