EU, UN officials expelled from Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- The Afghan government reportedly has expelled two international officials who have been holding meetings with various tribes in the country.

The two officials, one British and one Irish, work for the European Union and the United Nations and are based in violence-hit Helmand Province, which also is Afghanistan's poppy producing center, the BBC reported Tuesday.

The two, whose meetings with various groups may have included the Taliban, have been given 48 hours to leave the country.

"The foreign nationals have been declared persona non grata and their Afghan colleagues have been arrested and are being investigated," a spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai was quoted as saying. The spokesman said the two officials had been "involved in some activities that were not their jobs," the BBC report said.

The United Nations will comply with the order but its spokesman, Aleem Siddique, said the world body thinks the issue is a misunderstanding it hopes to resolve.

The report said the two officials have been speaking to groups across the country as part of their jobs. It quoted officials as saying such discussions should not be seen as support for the Taliban.