Afghan Police, NATO Deny Being Slow To Respond To UN Attack

Afghan authorities have denied that they were slow to respond to a deadly Taliban attack on a guest house filled with UN staff in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

A NATO spokesman, meanwhile, says Afghan authorities did not ask international forces for support during the incident.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on October 30 said it took approximately one hour before Afghan police arrived at the scene of the early October 28 attack, which left 11 people dead, including at least five UN staffers and several attackers.

The UN says it is demanding an explanation for the delay.

The Associated Press quotes Jamil Jumbish, an Afghan Interior Ministry official, as saying Afghan police reached the site of the attack "very quickly" and were not slow to respond.

The Afghan official, however, did not specify how long it took police to respond.

NATO spokesman James Appathurai said Afghan security forces did not ask NATO's International Security Assistance Force for help in responding to the attack.

In another development related to the Kabul attack, UN chief Ban has asked UN member states to swiftly approve at least $75 million so the UN can take measures to better protect UN staffers who are serving in vulnerable locations around the world, including Afghanistan.

compiled from agency reports