Visit Indian Travel Sites
Goa,
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh,
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh,
Assam,
Sikkim,
Madhya Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir
Karnataka
|
Taliban claims responsibility for killing eight 'Christian missionaries' in Afghanistan | The Taliban has claimed responsibility for killing eight Christian missionaries in Afghanistan. The claim comes after the bodies of eight foreigners and two Afghans were found shot to death in a mountainous area of Badakhshan Province. The dead foreigners,
including six Americans, one German and one British, had been working for the
International Assistance Mission (IAM), which provides eye care and medical help
to people living in remote areas of the country. "Yesterday at around 8am, one
of our patrols confronted a group of foreigners. They were Christian missionaries
and we killed them all," a foreign news agency quoted Zabihulla Mujahed, a Taliban
spokesman, as saying. "They were carrying Persian language bibles, a satellite-tracking
device and maps," he added. The IAM Executive Director, Dirk Frans, however denied
that the team, headed by American opthamologist Tom Little, and their Afghan interpreters
were missionaries. "That is a lie. That is not true at all. IAM is a Christian
organisation, we have always been that. We have worked in Afghanistan since 1966
- under the king, the communists, the Russians, the Mujahideen and the Taliban.
They have known us as a Christian agency, but we certainly do not distribute bibles,"
Frans said. An IAM spokesman had earlier said that it was still awaiting formal
identification of the victims, but that their families had been informed. The
US embassy in Kabul said that it had reason to believe that several American citizens
were among the deceased. "We cannot confirm any details at this point, but are
actively working with local authorities and others to learn more about the identities
and nationalities of these individuals," it said in a statement. The bodies are
expected to be returned to Kabul over the weekend. |
|
|
|
|
|