KABUL: The United Nations said yesterday it would evacuate hundreds of its international staff from Afghanistan for several weeks due to deteriorating security, a sharp blow for Western efforts to stabilize the country.

Spokesman Aleem Siddique said the UN would relocate about 600 of its roughly 1,100 international staff, with some being moved to safer sites within Afghanistan and the rest withdrawn from the country temporarily.

The move, a week after five UN foreign staff were killed by militants in Kabul, complicates for US President Barack Obama's counter-insurgency war strategy, which foresees an influx of civilian assistance alongside extra troops.