Pakistan, Afghanistan Are Deadliest Countries for Aid Workers

Published October 06, 2009 @ 11:48AM PT

[Breaking footage of the suicide attack in Pakistan from Dawn News]

An attack on the World Food Program office in Islamabad, Pakistan killed five WFP staff on Monday.

According to Chris Brummitt, writing from Islamabad: "A suicide bomber who killed five staffers at the U.N. food agency's headquarters in Pakistan on Monday was dressed as a security officer and allowed to enter the heavily guarded building after he asked to use the bathroom."

Among the dead were Farzana Barkat, Abid Rehman, GulRukh Tahir, Mohammad Wahab, and Botan Ahmed Ali Al-Hayawi.

(Earlier reports had indicated fewer casualties.)

Writing at The Road to the Horizon, Peter Casier reminds us that these are not just names, but colleagues, friends, family: "I worked with Abid when I was based in Islamabad from 2000 to 2002. We always exchanged friendly and teasing jokes as I stretched the finance unit with my urgent requests."

A total of eighteen aid workers have been killed in Pakistan since January. The only other country with as many aid fatalities is Afghanistan, where another eighteen aid workers have died.

Worldwide, 98 aid workers have been killed so far this year.

To read the official statement from the World Food Program, see here.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and colleagues of those who lost their lives on Monday.

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Author

Michael has worked for NGOs in Afghanistan, across east and central Africa, and Iraq. Prior to going overseas, he worked on a project providing assistance to the United Nations on the application of International Humanitarian Law to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.