Militants kill nine Afghan aid workers in
night time attack
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[June 02, 2015]
By Bashir Ansari
MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) -
Unidentified militants shot and killed nine Afghan employees of a
Czech-backed aid group, People in Need, in an attack early on Tuesday in
Afghanistan's northern Balkh province, government officials said.
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Aid workers have faced increasing attacks in Afghanistan as
foreign troops have withdrawn and security has deteriorated, making
the country one of the most dangerous for aid groups.
Government officials blamed the Taliban for Tuesday's attack, about
50 miles (80 km) south of the provincial capital.
"They shot dead nine people, including a woman," said Mohammad Daud
Naemi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and
Development.
Five employees, two drivers and two guards were killed in the attack
that started shortly after 1 a.m., he added.
In a statement, People in Need said its staff had worked in the area
since 2002, and it was suspending all operations in Afghanistan.
The office of the provincial governor also blamed the Taliban and
said it was investigating the incident.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Jun/02/images/ads/current/LPL_small%201.gif) The Taliban said it was looking into the details of the attack and
could not immediately comment.
The militant Islamist group has been fighting to topple the
internationally backed government after being ousted from power by a
U.S. led invasion in 2001.
Elsewhere in Afghanistan, a World Food Programme (WFP) convoy was
attacked by militants and rescued by police, the interior ministry
said in a statement.
"Six terrorists were killed and one terrorist, who was wounded, has
been detained," the ministry said.
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A car and weapons including a rocket launcher and two AK-47 assault
rifles had also been seized, it added.
A WFP spokeswoman could not immediately be reached for comment.
As many as 57 aid workers were killed last year, the United Nations
says. Most have been Afghan staff members, who work in the field and
face a greater risk of kidnappings and killing.
In April, 19 Afghan de-miners were freed two days after being
abducted by militants while doing a survey in the eastern region.
They were luckier than five aid workers of Save the Children, who
were abducted in March, and found dead more than a month later in
central Uruzgan province.
(Additional reporting and writing by Mirwais Harooni in Kabul;
Editing by Jessica Donati and Clarence Fernandez)
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