Saratoga man killed in attack in Afghanistan
Civilian aid worker, 35, dies in attack on United Nations vehicle that injured five other civilians
SARATOGA » A civilian aid worker from the South Bay was killed in an attack Sunday on a United Nations vehicle in Kabul, Afghanistan, devastating family and friends who mourned the loss of a man who “dedicated himself to making this world a better place.”
Anil Raj, 35, of Saratoga, was killed in the attack that injured five other civilians.
“Attacks targeting U.N. personnel working to help the Afghan people are unconscionable,” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday, “and we condemn this act in the strongest possible terms.”
No one has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack, according to media reports.
Raj graduated from Saratoga High School in 2002 and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Riverside and a master’s degree in international human rights from the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies.
His family said in a statement that he was “a kind and caring individual as a son, brother and friend” who loved camping and hiking, traveling, photography, cooking and spending time with friends and family.
“He was devoted to humanitarianism and had a positive impact on the lives of everyone he encountered,” Raj’s family said. “He was proud and deeply passionate to work for the U.N., and dedicated himself to making this world a better place. Everyone is deeply saddened by Anil’s tragic loss, but his compassionate spirit shall live on and will never be forgotten by those who knew him. He will be immensely missed.”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Raj joined the United Nations Development Programme, or UNDP, in 2010 as a disarmament, demobilization and reintegration reports officer in South Sudan. He most recently served as a management specialist in Kabul. Active in nearly 170 countries and territories, the agency is focused on ending poverty.
“I wish to express our deepest condolences to the family of our colleague who was killed and wish a speedy recovery to all those who were injured in this senseless attack,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner in a statement.
“Our dedicated staff will continue to serve the government and people of Afghanistan, as the country strives for peace and development,” he continued.
Friend and fellow Korbel alum Mackenzie McGrath recalled Raj as a “lover of life” and “the most kind and open-hearted soul I knew.”
“I am fortunate to have known you and for our lives to have crossed,” McGrath wrote in a public Facebook post. “Thank you for being you and for doing what you believed in.”