Mr. Hashim’s death is a great loss for Afghanistan and for all of us in the United Nations family here. The death of such a treasured colleague will be a matter of enormous sadness to those who knew him, and to all who care about Afghanistan’s rebuilding.

Mr. Hashim, an Afghan national, was contracted by the UN Human Settlements Programme, UN HABITAT, and worked on the National Solidarity Programme (NSP) in Farah province.

He was undertaking a monitoring visit to NSP communities and project sites in Bala Buluk district of Farah province on the morning of Saturday March 4th, when six armed men stopped the vehicle he was travelling in. Mr. Hashim was dragged from the car and shot dead. Community Council members travelling with him tried to intervene, but were unsuccessful.

Kabul, March 6th 2006

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