Five aid workers (two female physicians and three male co-workers) employed by the Swiss-based humanitarian group, Medair, were kidnapped by gunmen while visiting a remote clinic in a mountainous area of Badakhshan province
on Tuesday (May 22) when they were kidnapped. At the time, the aid workers were traveling by donkey, which further raises their vulnerability exposure.
COMMENT: Initial news reports suggest that the motivation for the abductions was money rather than political concessions. Rightly or wrongly, the victims had not informed Afghan
security forces about their trip into the area.
The good news is that afghan security forces have pinpointed the location where the five aid workers are being held and are apparently in negotiation with the kidnappers.
The
kidnapping of foreigners has become relatively common in parts of
Afghanistan since U.S-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban
government in 2001, heralding a 10-year anti-insurgent war. In 2010, 10
foreign medical workers, including six Americans, were killed in
Badakhshan in an attack blamed on insurgents.
Medair is an emergency relief agency which has been
active in Afghanistan since 1996. There it employs 15 expatriate and 175
local staff.
This report will be updated as soon as new information becomes available.
