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CARE Decries Murders of Aid Workers in AfghanistanCARE USA
February 26, 2004Following the murder of five aid workers in eastern Afghanistan on February 25, CARE decried the attack and urged international action both to address immediate threats and to build the capacity of the Afghan state to provide for the security of its people. This latest attack comes just 11 days after another fatal assault against a humanitarian organization in the western province of Farah. “The escalating pattern of fatal attacks on aid workers makes it all too evident that security is not improving,” said Kevin Henry, CARE USA Advocacy Director. “In all of 2003, 13 aid workers were killed in Afghanistan; we are coming close to equaling that number already in 2004, with nine aid workers gunned down in different parts of the country in just the past 11 days.” Afghan aid workers are increasingly bearing the brunt of the attacks. On Wednesday, gunmen stopped, then fired on a team working for the Sanyee Development Foundation, an Afghan humanitarian organization, on the road between Ozbin Khol village and Sarobi. This was not a case of mistaken identity. The gunmen asked the staff who they were and where they were from. Only then did they start shooting. Omar, the Afghan de-mining organization, lost four members of their staff in the strike on 14 February.
“U.S. Coalition and NATO forces are currently using Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) to address insecurity across Afghanistan, but these teams, in their current form, have serious shortcomings," says Henry. "The teams need to zero in on the security problems faced by both ordinary Afghans and aid workers, instead of dividing their efforts between reconstruction and security. Reconstruction programs can be carried out more effectively by the government and civilian organizations, provided that the security situation is stabilized." U.S. Coalition and NATO-led forces have both a unique opportunity and the responsibility to meet the security needs of ordinary Afghans. The primary threats to Afghan security are: residual terrorist elements, such as the Taliban and Al Qa’eda; warlord militias operating outside the control of the Afghan state; and the growing drug trade. Failure to effectively address these security threats will slow both the country’s reconstruction and preparations for national elections. “We are extremely concerned about the security rights of the Afghan people, including the dedicated Afghan staff of aid organizations,” adds Henry. “Security is their greatest need and providing it must be more than a short-term campaign to win hearts and minds. NATO and the U.S. Coalition should transform their PRTs into Provincial Stabilization Teams (PSTs) and focus their efforts on building the capacity of the Afghan police and army to address the country’s very real security threats.”
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