Committed to serve Afghans despite traumatic 2017: ICRC

Monitoring Desk

KABUL: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has reaffirmed its commitment to serving the people of Afghanistan in future despite going through a traumatic 2017.

Monica Zanarelli, head of ICRC delegation in Afghanistan, told Afghan media in an exclusive interview that the committee would deal with situation in 2018 differently because last year had been a difficult year for ICRC.

She said ICRC was really happy over the release of its workers who had been kidnapped in Kunduz province.

In early February last year, six ICRC workers were killed and two others were abducted on their way to Jawzjan province to distribute livestock. After eight months of efforts, ICRC managed to release its two kidnapped workers.

Two days after their release, another ICRC staff member was shot dead by a patient in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province.

Monica Zanarelli said the slain worker served in the orthopedic centre as physiotherapist.

She said in the first phase ICRC had suspended its operations in the north of Afghanistan due to excessive attacks, existence of challenges and exploring ways how to reduce security threats to its workers. In the second phase, they reduced activities, but continued to assist those affected by violence.

She reaffirmed that in 2018, ICRC would remain committed to serving the people of Afghanistan something it had been doing over the past 30 years.

“We may explore the option to transfer the orthopedic services to other organization who could provide high standard services and ICRC operation in the remaining part of the country would remain as it,” said Zanarelli.

She said ICRC cooperation with the Afghan Red Crescent Society would continue and would further strengthen to access disasters affected people in the countryside.