UNITED NATIONS, April 10 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged for action to quell hostilities in Afghanistan after increased levels of violence over the weekend.
"The secretary-general strongly condemns such acts of violence and calls upon the government of Afghanistan and the international community, including the International Security Assistance Force, to redouble their efforts to ensure stability, combat impunity and ensure an environment of respect for human rights," Marie Okabe, deputy spokeswoman for Ban, said Tuesday.
Violence included the murder of Afghan journalist Ajmal Naqshbandi, an explosive-device attack that killed six Canadian ISAF troops in Kandahar province and the ambush and murder of six Afghan de-miners in Farah province.
Despite the violence, the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees announced the number of Afghan refugees it has helped to return home voluntarily from Pakistan since 2002 has passed the 3 million mark, making it the largest such operation in the refugee agency's history.
The organization said, however, that more than 2 million Afghans remain in Pakistan, adding that the situation can only be resolved with continued international support.
