Aid workers murdered by Taliban

[Dog Walker]

When will the leaders of these criminals be indicted for their war crimes and their crimes against humanity?

10 Killed In Attack On Medical Team In Afghanistan
by The Associated Press
August 7, 2010
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129045982&ft=1&f=1001

Ten members of medical team, including six Americans, were shot and killed by militants as they were returning from providing eye treatment and other health care in remote villages of northern Afghanistan, a spokesman for the team said Saturday.
Dirk Frans, director of the International Assistance Mission, said one German, one Briton and two Afghans also were a part of the team that made the two-week trip to Nuristan province. They drove to the province, left their vehicles and hiked for hours over mountainous terrain to reach the Parun valley in the province's northwest.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press in Pakistan that they killed the foreigners because they were "spying for the Americans" and "preaching Christianity."
Frans said the International Assistance Mission is registered as a nonprofit Christian organization but it does not proselytize.
"This tragedy negatively impacts our ability to continue serving the Afghan people as IAM has been doing since 1966,'' said a statement released by the charity. "We hope it will not stop our work that benefits over a quarter of a million Afghans each year."
The team, made up of doctors, nurses and logistics personnel, was attacked as it was returning to Kabul following a two-week mission in Nuristan, Frans said. They had decided to travel through Badakhshan province to return to the capital because they thought that would be the safest route, Frans said.
Among the dead was team leader Tom Little, an optometrist from Delmar, N.Y., who has been working in Afghanistan for more than 30 years, Frans said.
Little was expelled by the Taliban government in August 2001 after the arrest of eight Christian aid workers — two Americans and six Germans — for allegedly trying to convert Afghans to Christianity. He returned to Afghanistan after the Taliban government was toppled in November 2001 by U.S.-backed forces.
Frans said he lost contact with Little on Wednesday. On Friday, a third Afghan member of the team, who survived the attack, called to report the killings. A fourth Afghan member of the team was not killed because he took a different route home because he had family in Jalalabad, Frans said.
According to Frans, two members of team worked for International Assistance Mission, two were former IAM workers and four others were affiliated with other organizations, which he did not disclose. He said five of the Americans were men and one was a woman. The Briton and German also were women.
Gen. Agha Noor Kemtuz, police chief in Badakhshan province, said the victims, who had been shot, were found Friday next to three bullet-riddled four-wheel drive vehicles in Kuran Wa Munjan district. He said villagers had warned the team that the area was dangerous, but the foreigners said they were doctors and weren't afraid. He said local police said about 10 gunmen robbed them and killed them one by one.
He said the two Afghans were interpreters were from Bamiyan and Panjshir provinces. A third Afghan man, who had been traveling with the group, survived.
"He told me he was shouting and reciting the holy Quran and saying 'I am Muslim. Don't kill me,'" Kemtuz said.

 

[gaspasser]

I'll play devil's advocate here by saying:
I find it insulting to our way of life, ethics and military ethos that these scumbags can get away with murdering innocent and unarmed medical aid workers...and we have to adhere to the Geneva Conventions.

My wife read this and exclaimed:
"why not just pull everything out of there (Afghanistan), let them fend for themselves and ignore them when they ask for help, and let them return back to Bedrock and neanderthallic time??" 

This type of act really makes me want to go over (again) and just have at 'er. 
I apologize to those who seem offended by these comments, but the real offense and tragedy is in the news peice!!!  :threat:
Sorry, rant off.

 

[Armymedic]

BYT,
your post reflect the dichotomy of the feeling about the situation in Afghanistan. The third middle attitude is: Its happening over there, its not happening here, so it doesn't affect me, and I don't care.

Problem with your wife's thoughts, as you know, is that the west tried that approach once before;hence why we're there now.

 

[gaspasser]

Unfortunately,
We Canadians and other 1st world countries like to help out the third (fourth) world countries into gaining their independence and becoming a democratic country.  But what do we do with the ones that don't want it? 
Yes, the world left Afghanistan alone for a few years, but then got back in when it was discovered the Taliban were abusing the people and backing terrorism.
Sometimes I wonder if helping others is always the right and descent thing to do ???
I will reserve my other thoughts because they are very much over the edge..
Cheers, BYTD

 

[tomahawk6]

Darwinism at work.

 

[armychick2009]

While it is a horrible event to happen, I'd like to hope that some of those 400 people they helped in that month will appreciate the gift that was restored to them (vision) and that those 400 people can bring positive change to their regions and a better future for their communities that doesn't involve violence...

The workers "knew" what they were getting into and the risks just as soldiers do. While a positive outcome is obviously the desired outcome, sometimes it just isn't so.  I'm certain they've brought changes to people that are more than just the change of eye-sight...

 

[tomahawk6]

Imagine how many more people they could have helped,including their own families had they worked within the system.

 

[armychick2009]

Can you define which "system"?

 

[tomahawk6]

ISAF of course.

 

[Oh No a Canadian]

Darwinism at work.

???

Please explain.

 

[George Wallace]

Do you know what Darwinism is?  If not, look it up.  Then think about what you are asking.

 

[The Bread Guy]

...from the Free Range International blog here:

.... The story broke yesterday after authorities recovered the remains of (Dan Terry) and seven international doctors who had conducted an eye clinic in Nuristan Province.  The team decided to take the much longer, much harder route back to Kabul through Badakshan Province because that part of the country is relatively free of Taliban gangs who are essentially armed criminal gangs when not being paid to fight by the various actors in Pakistan who fund Taliban operations.

Press reports indicated that the local people warned Dan and Tom Little (team lead and another good friend who’s been here for more than 3 decades) that the woods they were going to camp in were not safe but they went as planned telling the people they were doctors and that the Taliban would not molest them.  That last fact has been true for many years.  Despite this precedent apparently the Taliban claimed credit for this multiple murder but I find that hard to believe.  Afghan Taliban groups don’t do that to western doctors who are traveling in harms way unarmed and unafraid to treat people in remote locations.  At least they never have before.

Dan’s wife Seija is the director of nursing at Afghanistan international and also makes long trips into the bad lands to bring modern midwife techniques to a population of women facing the highest childbirth mortality rate in the world.  Dan and Seija, who raised their daughters in Afghanistan, worked for the United Methodist Church’s General Board of Global Ministries which is an ecumenical NGO based in Central Asia ....

 

[R933ex]

RIP to these folks and I hope the families get some solace from the work they did..

 

[The Bread Guy]

Interesting how ALL the bad guys are rushing to claim responsibility for this one - this from Long War Journal:

.... A spokesman from Hizb-i-Islami Gulbuddin, or HIG, contacted TOLOnews  and said the 10 medical workers were killed because they were "spies" who "had gone to the province for espionage." A Hizb-i-Islami spokesman also contacted Pajhwok Afghan News to claim the attack.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, also claimed the murder of the 10 aid workers and said they were killed for proselytizing Christianity. Mujahid told Reuters that the medical team had Bibles translated in Dari in their possession when they were shot and killed ....

 

[tomahawk6]

Driving out the NGO's may be an easier task for the taliban,than taking on ISAF. Although according to reports multiple COP's came under taliban attack today.

 

[OldSolduer]

It saddens me that 10 people who were only trying to do good for others were murdered for their beliefs.

It should also send a message to the NGOs who think that the problems of the world can be solved by sitting down and having tea with those who would do us harm.

 

[time expired]

Funny how the outrage in the media is somehow,what can I say,subdued,but when the IDF knocks

off 9 Turkish (activists)terrorists the whole worlds media goes into a fury of rage.One could almost

suspect,dare I say it,antisemitism.

                                                  Regards