Taliban commander condemns Karen Woo murder

[Prometheus Bound]

Source: The Guardian

Taliban commander condemns Karen Woo murder

Unnamed commander says execution of 10 medical workers including British doctor this month was a 'crime'
* Jon Boone in Kabul
* guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 17 August 2010 17.49 BST

The execution of 10 medical workers, including the British doctor Karen Woo, has been condemned by a Taliban commander from the area of north-eastern Afghanistan where the murders took place.

In an extraordinary breach within the hardline movement, which claimed responsibility for the attack in Badakhshan province this month, the unnamed insurgent leader described the incident as a "crime".

"I offer my condolences for the families of the 10 people killed in Badakhshan," said a brief message delivered to the Afghanistan Analysts Network, a respected Kabul-based thinktank. "The killing of these people was a crime. I know that they were working for the health of poor people in our region," he said.

The commander did not want his name to be revealed, but in a post on its website AAN confirmed that he was a "commander of significant clout, politically and militarily, in the north-east".


Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/17/taliban-afghanistan-karen-woo

[Turborama]

1. Too late to start worrying about your public image now.

They're dead. Murdered in cold blood by your death cult friends, asshole.

[John Q. Citizen]

2. You know who did it? I thought it was just some thieves, not insurgents.

[Turborama]

3. First hand account of what happened

In this article: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4501032

[Prometheus Bound]

6. Their aid organisation seems to think it was neither a robbery nor the Taliban.

Afghanistan aid worker killings: motive still not clear

The killing of a team of eye medics, including eight Christian aid workers, in a remote area of Afghanistan last week was likely the work of opportunistic gunmen whose motives are not yet clear, the head of the medical organization said recently.

On 6 August, 10 medical workers with International Assistance Mission (IAM) were found shot dead next to their bullet-ridden Land Rovers. Afghan authorities have not been conclusive about who is responsible for the deaths nor the motivation behind the killings.

The Associated Press reported that a Taliban spokesman said they had killed them because they were spies and “preaching Christianity.” A Taliban statement claimed that they were carrying Dari-language Bibles, according to the news agency.

Initially the attack was reported as a robbery, which IAM Executive Director Dirk Frans said was not true.

“There are all these conflicting reports, and basically our conclusion is that none of them are true,” Frans told Compass. “This was an opportunistic attack where fighters had been displaced from a neighboring district, and they just happened to know about the team. I think this was an opportunistic chance for them to get some attention.”

A new wave of tribal insurgents seeking territory, mineral wealth and smuggling routes has arisen that, taken together, far outnumber Taliban rebels, according to recent US intelligence reports.

http://www.inspiremagazine.org.uk/news.aspx?action=view&id=4721

Group: Outside fighters killed aid workers

The deaths of 10 medical aid workers in northeastern Afghanistan last week appear to be the work of insurgents from outside that remote corner of the country, an international humanitarian aid organization said Thursday.

"Our own research suggests that the murders were not a robbery as initially reported in the press," said a statement from the International Assistance Mission. "We are now working on the assumption that the attack was an opportunistic ambush by a group of nonlocal fighters."
http://afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/12/group-outside-fighters-killed-aid-workers/

[Turborama]

8. A Taliban spokesman said that the aid workers had ignored orders from an insurgent patrol to stop

A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said that the aid workers had ignored orders from an insurgent patrol to stop and were shot as they tried to flee. He said they discovered among their belongings a Bible in the Dari language widely spoken in Afghanistan, and maps showing Taliban positions in northern Afghanistan.

“They were not actually here to provide medication for people, but were here for spying,” he said. “The punishment for spying is death.”

Mr. Frans said that he doubted the Taliban claim of responsibility, and said the police had told him the probable motive was robbery. The police changed that assessment after interviewing witnesses and on Saturday were saying that the Taliban were responsible.

The accusations of spying or proselytizing, Mr. Frans said, were “out of the question.”

Full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/world/asia/08afghan.html

Mr Frans has stated his charity are going to continue working in Afghanistan, I wouldn't be surprised if his "doubt" was to avoid making a provocative statement.

Devastated Christian aid group pledges to continue work in Afghanistan
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4496852

[Prometheus Bound]

10. Some Western media love 'spokesman' Zabiullah Mujahid, but he doesn't have a lot of credibility.

[Turborama]

11. Nor does this statement from "anonymous" in the OP. n/t

[Prometheus Bound]

12. At least the AAN took the trouble to confirm it.

If only CNN were as careful with self-proclaimed spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid's claims.

[Turborama]

14. According Kate Clark's AAN blog, "anonymous" didn't deny it was carried out by the Taliban

The message from the north-eastern Taleban leader was short but clear:

“I offer my condolences (tasaliat) for the families of the ten people killed in Badakhshan. The killing of these people was a crime. I know that they were working for the health of poor people in our region.”

She gives a good analysis: http://aan-afghanistan.com/index.asp?id=985

Can I direct you to an OP I posted recently that has Kate Clark discussing the Taliban's latest tactics?

BBC Radio 4's "From Our Own Correspondent": The New Taliban Targets -- Women, Children & Foreigners
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8949287

[Downwinder]

4. Has anybody in NATO condemned crashing wedding parties? b/t

[Turborama]

5. Yes

http://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&safe=off&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&q=Nato+commander+apologizes+for+Afghan+civilian+deaths&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

[Downwinder]

7. I see lots of apologizes any condemnations or charges? n/t

[Turborama]

9. That must make this statement from the poor misunderstood Taliban much better. n/t

JIC :sarcasm:

[Prometheus Bound]

13. NATO apologised in February but did it again in July, then basically denied it.

Helmand residents accuse Nato of deliberate attack on civilians
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/27/afghanistan-rocket-missile-villagers-helmand

Helmand residents accuse NATO of deliberate attack on civilians killing 52
http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2010/07/28/helmand-residents-accuse-nato-of-deliberate-attack-on-civilians-killing-52.html