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 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Gunmen in Northern Afghanistan Kill 9 Local Aid Workers | Gunmen in Northern Afghanistan Kill 9 Local Aid Workers |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| KABUL, Afghanistan — Gunmen barged into the compound of an aid agency in northern Afghanistan early Tuesday, killing nine workers before fleeing, officials said. | KABUL, Afghanistan — Gunmen barged into the compound of an aid agency in northern Afghanistan early Tuesday, killing nine workers before fleeing, officials said. |
| It was the worst attack on aid workers this year, in which there has already been an increase in such episodes, alarming United Nations officials and charities. Many groups had already been curtailing their activities in Afghanistan. | It was the worst attack on aid workers this year, in which there has already been an increase in such episodes, alarming United Nations officials and charities. Many groups had already been curtailing their activities in Afghanistan. |
| So far this year, at least 26 aid workers have been killed, 17 wounded and 40 abducted, according to the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and Development, or Acbar, an Afghan group that advocates for many of the several thousand aid organizations here. Even before the increase, Afghanistan had the worst record worldwide for attacks on aid workers. | |
| Violence from the Taliban insurgency this year has spread to areas of the north and northeast that aid workers had long considered safe to work in, since most had pulled out of traditional conflict zones in the east and south. | Violence from the Taliban insurgency this year has spread to areas of the north and northeast that aid workers had long considered safe to work in, since most had pulled out of traditional conflict zones in the east and south. |
| “This most recent attack highlights the challenges aid workers face and the unacceptable sacrifices aid workers make when working in Afghanistan,” said Mark Bowden, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator. | “This most recent attack highlights the challenges aid workers face and the unacceptable sacrifices aid workers make when working in Afghanistan,” said Mark Bowden, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator. |
| The attack, in the center of Zari District in northern Balkh Province, targeted a house used as office and residential space 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 center of Zari District in northern Balkh Province, targeted a house used as office and residential space 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 gunmen entered the compound around 1:30 a.m. He said the victims were all Afghans: two drivers, two guards and five staff members carrying out projects for the National Solidarity Program, an Afghan government initiative popular in rural areas. | Ross Hollister, the country director for the group, said gunmen entered the compound around 1:30 a.m. He said the victims were all Afghans: two drivers, two guards and five staff members carrying out projects for the National Solidarity Program, an Afghan government initiative popular in rural areas. |
| “We did not receive any strong threats before,” Mr. Hollister said. “We were well received in the community.” The organization has suspended all its activities in the country, he said. | “We did not receive any strong threats before,” Mr. Hollister said. “We were well received in the community.” The organization has suspended all its activities in the country, he said. |
| Local police officials blamed the Taliban, but the group has so far not claimed responsibility. | Local police officials blamed the Taliban, but the group has so far not claimed responsibility. |
| Khalifa Qasim, the landlord who had rented the house to the organization for $200 a month, said most of the victims had been shot in bed. The manager was killed under a desk. | Khalifa Qasim, the landlord who had rented the house to the organization for $200 a month, said most of the victims had been shot in bed. The manager was killed under a desk. |
| “All the bodies were wrapped in blankets in their beds,” Mr. Qasim said. | “All the bodies were wrapped in blankets in their beds,” Mr. Qasim said. |
| Hajji Ghawsuddin, a member of the village development council in Zari, said two of those who were killed were his relatives. One of them, a 40-year-old guard named Israyeel, was shot in the face. Nearly 1,000 people attended the funerals of the two men, he said. | |
| “The gunmen — neighbors were saying there were three of them — climbed over the walls and sprayed bullets at workers who were there,” Mr. Ghawsuddin said. “Two of the workers who hid themselves in a dark room survived.” | “The gunmen — neighbors were saying there were three of them — climbed over the walls and sprayed bullets at workers who were there,” Mr. Ghawsuddin said. “Two of the workers who hid themselves in a dark room survived.” |
| The attackers seem to have fled the scene after a brief exchange of fire with the police, who arrived an hour after the shootings, Mr. Qasim said. | The attackers seem to have fled the scene after a brief exchange of fire with the police, who arrived an hour after the shootings, Mr. Qasim said. |
| The attack came as a Taliban offensive is intensifying across Afghanistan. Balkh, long considered a safe economic hub, 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. | The attack came as a Taliban offensive is intensifying across Afghanistan. Balkh, long considered a safe economic hub, 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. |
| The Zari attack was the third large episode targeting aid workers in recent months. Five workers for Save the Children were abducted in southern Oruzgan Province, and their bodies were found on April 10. In May, eight aid workers were killed in a Kabul guesthouse under circumstances that remain mysterious. | |
| All of this has left aid workers worried about a difficult year ahead. | All of this has left aid workers worried about a difficult year ahead. |
| “There is a real difference from the previous year, an awful and real increase,” said Justine Piquemal, the director of Acbar. “We stay committed, so NGOs will stay to support the Afghan population, who is the first to suffer. However, yes, the high violence will impact our work. We have to protect our colleagues.” | |
| The work of organizations such as People in Need is central to the National Solidarity Program, which foreign donors and local Afghans have praised as one of the success stories of a government that has otherwise struggled to establish its reach despite billions of dollars in international aid. Grants from the program have brought bridges, wells and even hydropower to many far-flung and volatile villages. | The work of organizations such as People in Need is central to the National Solidarity Program, which foreign donors and local Afghans have praised as one of the success stories of a government that has otherwise struggled to establish its reach despite billions of dollars in international aid. Grants from the program have brought bridges, wells and even hydropower to many far-flung and volatile villages. |
| The program has managed to mediate the risks by mobilizing local councils, with the help of a network of roughly 30 aid groups that help deliver services and carry out projects. Nevertheless, the National Solidarity Program’s work has come at an enormous toll. Since 2004, nearly 357 people related to the program have been killed, according to documents provided by the agency. | The program has managed to mediate the risks by mobilizing local councils, with the help of a network of roughly 30 aid groups that help deliver services and carry out projects. Nevertheless, the National Solidarity Program’s work has come at an enormous toll. Since 2004, nearly 357 people related to the program have been killed, according to documents provided by the agency. |
| What has made the threat worse in recent years, officials and local elders say, is the increasing criminalization of the insurgency. In the early years of the long war, elders could persuade Taliban commanders to allow a project in their area. But the new generation of militants are more swayed by ransoms and hostage taking, many said. | What has made the threat worse in recent years, officials and local elders say, is the increasing criminalization of the insurgency. In the early years of the long war, elders could persuade Taliban commanders to allow a project in their area. But the new generation of militants are more swayed by ransoms and hostage taking, many said. |