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UN mine clearance in Afghanistan suspended as workers mourn seven killed 
10 August -- United Nations mine clearance activities in Afghanistan were suspended today to allow the 5,000 Afghans working under the UN umbrella to mourn the death of seven aid workers killed on 5 August.

 In Islamabad, a ceremony was held in memory of the victims, who were ambushed on the way to the western province of Herat as part of the UN effort to eradicate Afghanistan of anti-personnel landmines. More than 200 people offered prayers for the victims.

 "It is tragic that they lost their own lives while saving the lives of others," observed Erick de Mul, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan. "There is no doubt that in the hundreds of communities in which they have worked over the years these men saved many, many lives."

 Mr. de Mul said that all those gathered -- including people from the UN, the mine action community, non-governmental organizations and friends and colleagues of the deceased -- were demonstrating "our grief at the loss of these seven men, our outrage at the manner of their deaths, and our respect for their lives and work."

 After two decades of fighting, Afghanistan is still littered with hazardous explosive devices. The UN Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan aims to help Afghans rid their land of these weapons.