German tourist killed in Afghanistan

[alp227]

Source: Reuters

Unknown gunmen killed a German tourist and his Afghan companion in central Afghanistan on Saturday. Two other Afghans were wounded when the gunmen opened fire on the van the tourist was travelling in, a senior police officer said.

The men were on a road in poor, remote Ghor province, driving towards Bamiyan province, which is more often visited, deputy provincial police chief Abdul Rashid Bashir told Reuters.

Bashir said the dead man was a tourist, and documents found in his possession showed that he was German. The German embassy in Kabul could not immediately be reached for comment.

Two German nationals were killed last month while hiking in mountains near the capital Kabul. Their killers have not been found.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/24/german-tourist-killed-afghanistan

[izquierdista]

1. Some places belong further down the list

Hiking in the mountains near the Iranian border, Afghanistan, fishing in the Yalu or Tumen rivers, these are the LAST places you want to put on your "bucket list". Once you've crossed everything, and I mean everything else off the list, go ahead and book your trip.

[demosincebirth]

2. Amen to that!

[LuckyLib]

3. Thanks. I thought I was one of a few who thought the "hikers" had been rather

stupid to be gallavanting between a rogue state and a war zone. They needed to get some smarts before embarking on such an adventure.

[SHRED]

4. "tourists"?...really?

Wow...stupid.

[Plucketeer]

15. My thoughts exactly

Hey! lookit that interesting quicksand over there! Let's wade in!

[Hoosier Daddy]

5. What the Hell is WRONG with these people???

:dunce:

[JackRiddler]

6. What the hell is wrong with all the smug replies here?

A traveler can be killed anywhere, even right in the middle of Paris. This is a crime. No one deserves this. It doesn't matter how ill-advised the choice was (although it's an assumption that the victim really was a tourist, by the way). No one deserves it and no one else should be smug when they hear about the tragedy. Do you make jokes when you hear about the overdose of a junkie (most of them, by the way, are on legally manufactured pharmaceuticals)? How about the murder of a prostitute, is that an occasion for some finger-wagging at the victim's recklessness for engaging in high risk behavior?

For your sakes I hope you're no older than 15.

[walerosco]

9. I hate it

that I usually comment on stories like this. Its like blaming a woman for rape because of the way she dressed. But its human nature

[demosincebirth]

17. You don't walk into a burning building just to see what it's like.

[JackRiddler]

19. A country is not a burning building.

You have no idea why the traveler was there - it was pointed out that visiting family or a loved one was a possibility.

Even if it was for curiousity, that is a legitimate reason. Even if it was reckless, murder is murder. You sound like you can't imagine doing anything outside your narrow routine at all.

Of course, your smug and callous response could also apply to journalists and charity and relief workers.

[demosincebirth]

20. Did you ever use the word analogy? nt

[JackRiddler]

22. Did you ever understand that not every analogy is valid, or makes you right?

[demosincebirth]

25. This is going nowhere. Can't discuss with one who is always right. DNR

[JackRiddler]

26. You mean, you prefer to retreat rather than apologize for your foolish and hard-hearted statements.

[walerosco]

7. some people have way too much balls

I dont think you could pay me enough money to take a weeks vacation in Afghanistan.

[No Elephants]

10. The "ttesticles are synonymous with courage" fallacy.

[SkyDaddy7]

11. Calm down...I don't think the "balls" comment...

was meant to be taken literally.

[No Elephants]

8. "a German tourist and his Afghan companion" Perhaps he was visiting a relative, friend or lover.

[Ian David]

13. Okay, I might go to Afghanistan for a booty trip. Nt

[JackRiddler]

23. Classy as always.

[Ian David]

12. I hear it is lovely this time of year. Nt

[Crunchy Frog]

14. Would not be my top tourist destination.

[LeftyMom]

16. Somebody needs to haunt their travel agent.

On second thought: drugs? If a western civilian gets shot Where Heroin Comes From, you have to consider the possibility.

[daleo]

18. Were there many U.S./NATO country tourists in 1969 Viet Nam?

Because being a tourist in present day Afghanistan strikes me as about the same.

[JackRiddler]

24. There were some (who weren't CIA or such). No doubt about it.

[Mira]

21. All I know for sure, other than being very sad it happened,

is that there is going to be uproar about it in Germany. Kind of like there once upon a time was uproar in the US when something bad happened to an American abroad........