2 insurgents kill guard in attack on Red Cross site in Afghanistan
Assault is the second on a humanitarian group in the country in less than a week.
KABUL, Afghanistan — In the second attack on a humanitarian organization in Afghanistan in less than a week, insurgents in Jalalabad struck the compound of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Wednesday, killing a security guard and wounding a member of the staff, police said.
The attack occurred about 5:30 p.m., when two insurgents wearing explosive vests approached the compound, said Mohammad Sharif Amin, police chief of the eastern province of Nangarhar, which includes Jalalabad. One opened fire and killed the guard, and then the assailants entered the compound.
A gun battle ensued between Afghan security forces and the attackers, who had heavy weapons and grenades, Amin said. During the fight, the insurgents wounded a Red Cross worker. Part of the building also caught fire.
The attack lasted about two hours, ending with the area secured and both attackers killed when they detonated their vests. Security forces rescued six international staff members with the Red Cross and transferred them to the United Nations compound in Jalalabad.
The humanitarian group confirmed on its Twitter account that an “incident” had taken place at its office in Jalalabad, but did not elaborate. No one claimed immediate responsibility for the assault.
On Friday, militants attacked the Kabul headquarters of the International Organization for Migration, leading to a battle lasting several hours. The Taliban claimed responsibility for that strike.
Analysts said it wasn’t immediately clear why insurgents would attack the Red Cross, which has a reputation for working with insurgents, including the Taliban, as part of its bid to remain as neutral as possible in any conflict.
The organization reportedly negotiated with the Taliban in the past to carry out polio vaccination campaigns and otherwise gain access to Taliban-controlled areas. In 2010 the Red Cross said it provided first-aid training to the militants in line with its broader mandate to give equal treatment to both armies and armed opposition groups fighting around the world.
In June 2012, the Taliban praised the Red Cross as a group that works for common Afghans, not the Afghan government or international forces, adding in a statement that it had provided valuable help during the fighting against the Soviet invasion in the late 1980s.
Wednesday’s attack was reportedly the first aimed at Red Cross facilities in Afghanistan since it started operating in the country in 1987, although a water engineer was slain in 2003. The group’s $90-million operation is its largest in any nation, with more than 1,500 staff members working on a variety of projects, such as improving water sanitation, protecting detainees, supporting animal husbandry programs and rehabilitating amputees.
The attack comes amid concern over how Afghan security forces will handle a resurgent insurgency as for- eign combat troops prepare to depart by the end of 2014.