Doctors Without Borders leaving Afghanistan

Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Medecins Sans Frontieres became the first major aid agency to quit Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban, saying today that the government failed to act on evidence that local warlords were behind the murder of five of its staff.

The Nobel prize-winning medical relief group, also known as Doctors Without Borders, denounced the U.S. military's use of aid to persuade Afghans to snitch on insurgents, saying it risked turning all relief workers into targets. It was also dismayed that Taliban rebels tried to claim responsibility for the June 2 attack on its staff.
Houston Chronicle

Wow. This organization has been in Afghanistan through the Soviets, through the Taliban, and now they say it's too dangerous? Another casaulty in Bush's war on terror? It's a sad day for the Afghanis.

The military apologized in May for distributing leaflets telling Afghans that they had to provide information on militants if they wanted assistance to continue.

Simply incredible.

EDIT: Typo

[edit on 1-8-2004 by curme]

I don't know if you can blame Bush for this one. The article mentions the failure to follow up on the murder of five of its staff. They atayed after the murders then left after the government did not do anything.

Im surprised that they did not pull out after the murders.

The Taliban know, everyday that passes, means that their chances of regaining control of the Afghans lessens. Once the Afghan people participate in the election and continue to move toward a stable free situation, the Taliban and their radical ideas will cease to influence them.

The Taliban's attacks on humanitarian workers show the desperation on their part, and the 90% of Afghans ready to vote in October shows the hope and desire for freedom on theirs.

Would it be beyond the scope of your text to blame the Taliban for the murders, or the government for not acticng on the evidence that the Taliban admitted to the murders?

The US' tactics may have been condemned as the reason for the murders, however, any thinking person can see that it was the TALIBAN, not the US, who murdered these staff. The US was only trying to help the Afghans.

Of course, cowards and sympathizers will try to find a way to absolve any guilt from the Taliban.

:shk: