UN to pull out of Sri Lanka's rebel-held territory

 2008-09-09 12:35:02 - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - The United Nations says it will begin withdrawing its staff from rebel-held territory this week following a government decision banning foreign aid workers from the area.
The government announced Monday that aid groups would have to withdraw their foreign staffs and much of their local staffs from rebel territory in the north immediately because of the raging civil war in the area. The U.N. said in a statement Tuesday that it had not set a timetable for the full withdrawal of its staff but would begin relocations this week. It said it would continue working to address the needs of the civilian population there. The U.N. estimates that 160,000 civilians in the area have been displaced by the fighting.