U.N. map expands danger zones

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- A United Nations map used by aid workers shows nearly half of Afghanistan has become too dangerous for aid operations.

The map indicates security in the country has deteriorated significantly since a previous map was created in March 2005, The Times of London reported Wednesday.

The more recent map adds nearly all the ethnic Pashtun south and east, and some areas in the north of the country to the no-go zones for aid workers. In 2005, the zones only included an area surrounding the border with Pakistan and mountainous regions of Zabul and Uruzgan provinces.

The map's release follows a public disagreement regarding how much of the country is currently controlled by Taliban militants.

The Senlis Council think-tank released a report last week in Kabul claiming the Taliban has a presence in half the country. However, Brig. Gen. Carlos Branco, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, said Tuesday only five out of fifty-nine districts in southern Afghanistan are controlled by the militants.