UN says two staff members detained in Afghanistan have been freed


Aug 20 (Reuters) - Two ⁠U.N. staff members detained by ⁠authorities in Afghanistan were released on ‌Thursday in good health, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a press briefing.

The two Afghan staff ​members of the U.N.'s Assistance ⁠Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) ⁠were detained in the western city of ⁠Herat ‌on August 9, following a string of detentions by ⁠Taliban authorities.

Dujarric said the circumstances of the ​staffers' ‌detention and what they had been ⁠accused of "remains ​very unclear, and we're trying to get more details."

"We're just delighted that they've ⁠been released, they're in ​good health, and they face apparently no more judicial legal issues," he said.

As the ⁠U.N.'s political mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA is involved in human rights monitoring and data gathering. The Taliban have frequently ​criticized its reports.

The ⁠detentions became public days before the Taliban ​celebrated the fifth anniversary ‌of their return to ​power.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; editing by Susan Heavey and Hugh Lawson)

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