Five aid workers killed in northern Afghan ambush

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ISL267860.htm

KABUL, June 2 (Reuters) - Three foreigners and two locals working for Medecins Sans Frontieres were killed on Wednesday when unknown assailants opened fire on their car in the northwestern Afghan province of Badghis, the governor said.

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[daleo]

1. Two developments contributed to this

- The use of the military to provide civilian aid at the same time that it is fighting wars.
- The use of mercenaries to fight wars at the same time that legitimate NGO's are providing civilian aid.

Both of these blur the distinction between the civilian and military roles in nations beset by civil strife of various types. Both of these developments can be laid at the Rummy/Bush door.

[struggle4progress]

2. There was also a recent thread here ...

on military and security folk out of uniform or using vehicles with NGO plates.

[Eye and Monkey]

3. BushCo's blurring of these lines is intentional.

Before long, Halliburton-KBR will be providing "humanitarian assistance" via lucrative US government contracts.

Humanitarian assistance is always open to manipulation by differing agendas on the ground and in board rooms far-away. Once again, with a unilateralist agenda that is motivated by profit, BushCo is deep in the middle of territory it doesn't understand.

And these folks, my humanitarian colleagues, have paid the price.

[Eye and Monkey]

4. Bumping, as a poor excuse for a requiem. They're my colleagues.

I was on the MSF team for Western Afghanistan a few years back.

RIP, Someone Without Borders.

[Eye and Monkey]

5. Bumping again, in memory

[tabasco]

14. You and your colleagues are true heroes.

During my Army service, I had the honor to work with some of these fine people. They place themselves at risk in order to help others in dire need. I am very saddened when tragedies like this occur.

[nodehopper]

10. I don't think the Taliban makes that distinction

To them, Westerners in Afghanistan and their collaborators must be killed/driven out.

Your analysis is more applicable to the Iraq uprising.

[Eye and Monkey]

12. Are you speaking from experience? I don't think you are.

Are you speaking from an informed perspective? I don't think you are.

Please, elaborate.

[nodehopper]

13. What do you mean "experience"?

I'm speaking from following these issues carefully in independent and international press and discussing this issue with people who work for aid & relief organizations.

The Taliban wants to implement an extremely isolationast, atavistic order on the territories they are regaining control of and they target both foreign aid workers and the locals who work for them, including non-sectarian international groups that do not work together with the military--like Doctors Without Borders.

The Taliban poisoned three girls a couple of weeks ago because they were attending school. They have executed Afghani locals who worked for international relief organizations. They are committed to ridding "their" territories of any Western influences or adulturation.

[m-jean03]

6. bump for MSF

I don't know what to say to express my disillusionment
and sadness in the wake of these murdered heroes,
but to quote poster Eye and Monkey :
"The humanitarian ideal is bleeding"
:cry:

[Snazzy]

7. Relief Agency Suspends Afghan Operations

Relief Agency Suspends Afghan Operations

Jun 3, 2:41 PM (ET)

By STEPHEN GRAHAM


KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A Nobel Prize-winning relief agency halted its long-established operations in Afghanistan on Thursday after five staff members were killed in the deadliest attack on foreign aid workers since the fall of the Taliban.

Wednesday's assault in northwestern Badghis province on workers with Medecins Sans Frontieres raised fears that insurgents already disrupting development efforts in Afghanistan's south and east are now targeting projects in the north. A purported spokesman for the Taliban claimed responsibility.

Attackers using rifles and grenades shredded a four-wheel-drive vehicle painted with the MSF red logo, killing all five people inside: a Norwegian doctor, a Dutch logistician, a Belgian project coordinator and their Afghan driver and translator.

The attackers disconnected the vehicle's radio but stole nothing.

...

MSF has been in Afghanistan since 1979, providing basic health care and support to hospitals through 80 expatriates and 1,400 local people. The organization, also known as Doctors Without Borders, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.

....

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040603/D82VN1HO0.html

[Barrett808]

8. This was on the crawl beneath Bush as he delivered the Tenet news

"Superb job."

[Eye and Monkey]

9. MSF (Doctors Without Borders) Statement

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/pr/2004/06-03-2004b.shtml

Kabul/Amsterdam, June 3, 2004 – The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) deeply mourns the loss of five of its aid workers, who were killed in a brutal attack in Afghanistan yesterday. All five were committed to bringing humanitarian assistance to people in distress.

MSF condemns this cowardly attack in the strongest terms. The killing of humanitarian workers is to be considered a war crime according to International Law.

The MSF workers were killed on Wednesday afternoon in the province of Badghis, in the north west of Afghanistan. The Toyota Landcruiser in which they were traveling was ambushed and shot at from various directions. Grenade shrapnel was also found embedded in the car. The fact that nothing was stolen from the car is clear evidence that this was not a robbery.

The Taliban have reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack. MSF can neither confirm nor deny these reports.

MSF has a long history in Afghanistan and started providing medical assistance to the population in 1980. Throughout the years, throughout different phases of conflict, and despite regime changes MSF has stayed in Afghanistan with one objective: to assist the Afghani people suffering from a chronic war. The communities we work for have always accepted MSF’s role as an independent humanitarian organization.

This cowardly attack does not only jeopardize the work of independent humanitarian workers, but also the provision of assistance to Afghans in need.

All sections of MSF have suspended activities while we consider how we can continue to offer medical assistance to people in desperate need under these conditions.

[Democat]

11. Attacking humanitarian aid workers is shameful, I hope they catch them!

Doctors Without Borders does good work. This is very sad.