UN staff to have Afghan escorts

The United Nations says the Afghan Government is to provide armed escorts for UN staff travelling on roads in the south of the country.

The announcement follows a string of attacks on UN mine-clearance workers, which have been blamed by Afghan officials on remnants of the ousted Taleban regime.

The latest attack was reported a couple of hours before the UN announcement.

Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a UN vehicle on the main road between the eastern towns of Gardez and Khost.

Two Afghan mine-clearance staff were injured.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service