United Nations officials say that Afghanistan's government has called for the expulsion of two foreign diplomats.
Kabul has apparently asked that the United Nations and European Commission employees leave the country because they had travelled to a volatile part of the country.
A spokesperson for Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the two officials were "involved in some activities that were not their jobs." The UN employee was, according to UN officials, described by Afghans as being "detrimental" to the national security of the country.
The pair had gone to the southern province of Helmand on Monday. There they spoke to "people on the ground," according to Aleem Siddique, a spokesperson for the UN mission in Afghanistan.
"We don't talk to the Taliban, full stop," Siddique said.
There were reports earlier that the two officials had been arrested, but the pair have diplomatic immunity -- and so were technically never under arrest, according to an unnamed official.
They have since been asked to leave, but there are conflicting reports about the fate of the two employees. Some anonymous sources claim that the pair is expected to leave the country within two days. Others say that the situation can be resolved with negotiations.
"We do not believe there is any basis for any UN official to need to leave the country, and we're making this position clear to the government of Afghanistan," Siddique said.
"We see this as a misunderstanding of what people were doing in Helmand," he said. "There is a miscommunication between the authorities in Helmand province and the central government, and that's what we're trying to clear up."
Taliban militants have been fighting NATO and Afghan forces in Helmand province this past year. Siddique said the U.N. employee was in the province to help the Afghan government in the region.
With files from the Associated Press
