Global Policy Forum

By Amir Shah

Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia has ordered the U.N. mission in the crisis-ridden country out of its Kabul offices, saying the world body did not renew its contract and has not paid rent. A Taliban foreign ministry official said Sunday that the ruling militia gave notice to the U.N. Special Mission to Afghanistan six months ago that it needed to sign a new agreement. "But they did not respond to it, forcing us to order them to vacate the premises by Monday," the official, Usman Shaharyar, told The Associated Press.

The mission issued no official comment Sunday. An Afghan staff member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the mission was paying $500 a month for electricity charges and a municipal tax, but no rent.

The U.N. mission is trying to broker a peace deal between Afghanistan's warring factions and encourage the formation of a broad-based government. The Taliban now control about 95 percent of the country, including the capital. In May, the Taliban closed the U.N. mission's offices in the cities of Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif and Jalalabad to protest the world body's sanctions against the hardline militia. However, Shaharyar said the eviction is not linked with any political issue. "The UNSMA can continue operations in Kabul from a new premises," he said. He did not say what the Taliban would do if the U.N. mission doesn't vacate the building by Monday.

The eviction notice comes amid increasingly strained relations between the Taliban and the United Nations, which has repeatedly accused the Taliban of harassing aid workers. The Taliban, who enforce a strict version of Islam, are facing U.N. sanctions for giving shelter to Saudi billionaire Osama bin Laden, accused by Washington of running a global terrorist network.