6 Red Cross staff killed, 2 missing in Afghanistan

MAZAR-I-SHARIF: Suspected Daesh gunmen killed six Afghan employees of the Red Cross delivering relief supplies in snowbound northern Afghanistan on Wednesday, officials said, underscoring the dangers faced by aid workers in the war-battered country.
Two other Red Cross workers were missing in the incident in the volatile province of Jowzjan, the international charity said.
The Red Cross convoy, comprising three drivers and five field officers, came under attack while they were carrying relief supplies to a restive area badly affected in recent days by heavy snowfall.
“This is a despicable act,” said Monica Zanarelli, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Afghanistan.
“Nothing can justify the murder of our colleagues and dear friends.”
ICRC President Peter Maurer denounced the killings as a “huge tragedy,” saying it appeared to be a deliberate attack on the charity’s staff.
Jowzjan police chief Rahmatullah Turkistani told AFP that Daesh fighters had killed the aid workers. “Daesh fighters are active in the area,” he said. “We had previously repeatedly warned them not to go to such dangerous areas under Daesh control.”