A diplomatic dispute in Afghanistan led to the expulsion Thursday of two international officials accused by the Afghan government of holding talks with the Taliban.
One is a high-ranking British UN employee, while the other is an Irish national who is acting head of the EU mission in Afghanistan.
The two Kabul-based diplomats were accused of posing a threat to national security after they travelled to Musa Qala in the the volatile Helmand province to meet with local elders, said Aleem Siddique, a spokesman for the UN mission.
UN and EU officials insisted the dispute was a misunderstanding.
But Humayun Hamidzada, a spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, said the two were "involved in some activities that were not their jobs."
The BBC reported the two men had left the country after talks aimed at allowing them to stay failed.
Helmand is the heart of Afghanistan's drug-producing poppy trade, and the EU and United Nations have a key role in the British-led eradication program.
The Afghan government has stated publicly that it will not negotiate with Taliban insurgents, but has been known to use unofficial channels to communicate.
With files from the Associated PressRelated
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