This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/world/asia/afghanistan-aid-workers-killed-in-attack.html
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Gunmen in Northern Afghanistan Kill 9 Local Aid Workers | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| KABUL, Afghanistan — Gunmen barged into the compound of an aid agency in northern Afghanistan early Tuesday, killing nine workers before fleeing, officials of the organization said. | KABUL, Afghanistan — Gunmen barged into the compound of an aid agency in northern Afghanistan early Tuesday, killing nine workers before fleeing, officials of the organization said. |
| The attack in the Zari district of Balkh Province targeted a house used as an office as well as a residence by People in Need, a Czech charity that has delivered educational, health and agricultural services in the area for more than a decade. | The attack in the Zari district of Balkh Province targeted a house used as an office as well as a residence by People in Need, a Czech charity that has delivered educational, health and agricultural services in the area for more than a decade. |
| Ross Hollister, the country director for the group, said assailants entered the compound at 1:30 a.m. He said the victims were two drivers, two guards and five staff members carrying out projects for the National Solidarity Program, an Afghan government project popular in rural areas throughout the country. All the victims were Afghans. | |
| “We did not receive any strong threats before. We were well received in the community,” Mr. Hollister said. The organization has suspended all its activities in the country, he said. | “We did not receive any strong threats before. We were well received in the community,” Mr. Hollister said. The organization has suspended all its activities in the country, he said. |
| No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but it came amid an intensifying Taliban offensive across Afghanistan. Balkh, long considered a safe economic hub in the north, has endured a spike in violence in recent weeks. A Taliban attack on the provincial attorney general’s office in April left 19 people dead and more than 60 wounded. | No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but it came amid an intensifying Taliban offensive across Afghanistan. Balkh, long considered a safe economic hub in the north, has endured a spike in violence in recent weeks. A Taliban attack on the provincial attorney general’s office in April left 19 people dead and more than 60 wounded. |