surge update: Taliban Kill 10 on Medical Aid Mission in Afghanistan

[spanone]

KABUL, Afghanistan — At least 10 medical personnel, including six Americans, were slain in northern Afghanistan, officials confirmed Saturday.

The Taliban, through one of its spokesmen, claimed responsibility for the killings.

The workers, who were on an expedition to bring eye care and other medical services to remote areas, were found shot to death in a mountainous area of Badakhshan Province, according to the provincial police chief, Aka Noor Kentoz.

The International Assistance Mission said six of the dead were Americans, one was German and one was British. Dirk Frans, the executive director of the I.A.M., said the team was headed by Tom Little, an American opthamologist with four decades experience in Afghanistan and a fluent Dari speaker.

“We have reason to believe that several American citizens are among the deceased,” said a spokeswoman for the American embassy, Caitlin Hayden. “We cannot confirm any details at this point, but are actively working with local authorities to learn more about the identities and nationalities of these individuals.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/world/asia/08afghan.html?_r=1&ref=global-home&pagewanted=print

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. That's a bit too close for comfort.

A relative does aid work there. Just had this discussion last week with her sister:

She: They don't do any missionary work or proselytizing. They just do relief work. The Taliban isn't interested.

Me: What if some units of the Taliban fail to read the memo?




If she survived the above, I'm CALLING HER MOTHER.

[emilyg]

2. Wonder why some idiots would unrec. this?

k/r

[bullwinkle428]

3. Anything that makes people question "the mission" in Afghanistan

must be buried, in the eyes of some around here.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

5. Yet it's stories like this that make me hope

the perpetrators run into our troops.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

4. My entire opposition to the war is because I believe

books, hospitals, building infrastructure, improve farming etc.

Not WARfare but rather MORE-FAIR (cheesy, I know, so sue me!)

If we did that than the lures of the real hardcore terrorists would fall on deaf ears as people who have hope and opportunity don't lash out with desperate acts of violence (if I'm wrong here feel free to tell me so).

Yet, here were real people doing real things to help their fellow people.

And these killers and murderers just brutalized them.

It's stories like this that make think twice about feeling bad if those thugs ran into a patrol of marines or a drone or a team of green berets. Not because I like death and killing but because those aid workers and the people they are helping deserved be protected.

Heartbreaking, just absolutely heartbreaking.