38 aid workers killed in two years in Afghanistan, says OCHA

KABUL (TOLOnews): The OCHA humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, claimed that 38 workers were killed during the last two years. Daniel Endres said that most of them were polio vaccinators and deminers in Afghanistan. “We salute their courage and celebrate their dedication to serving humanity we also take a moment to pause to recognize those humanitarian workers who have lost their lives and were injured, abducted, arrested or remain in captivity or detention… 38 workers were killed during the last two years many of whom were polio vaccinators and deminers.” Said Daniel Endres. “The Taliban government, which is currently in power, has a legal obligation to ensure the safety of aid workers and those who are engaged in distributing aid to the people of Afghanistan,” said Asadullah Nadim, a military analyst. Despite the lack of funding for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, last year UN employees provided humanitarian aid to more than 26 million people in 401 districts of Afghanistan. “Humanitarian needs in Afghanistan reached more than 29 million people in need of assistance,” said Daniel Endres. Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate rejected the comments of the coordinator of humanitarian aid and said that the aid workers in Afghanistan have the support of the Islamic Emirate. “The Western institutions are all coordinated in presenting Afghanistan as an unsafe region and have started and are continuing their propaganda. This is not true; the Afghans are witnessing, and we are also witnessing that the aid workers were not harmed,” said Zabiullah Mujahid. In February 2022, eight health workers–including four women–were shot and killed in separate attacks by unidentified gunmen in the northern provinces of Kunduz and Takhar.