Charity worker slain in Pakistan
Source: Agencies |
April 30, 2012, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
The body of a British Red Cross worker held captive in Pakistan since January was found in an orchard yesterday, his throat slit and a note attached to his body saying he was killed because no ransom was paid, police said.
Khalil Rasjed Dale, 60, was managing a health program in the southwestern city of Quetta when armed men seized him from a street. The identities of his captors are unknown, but the region is home to separatist and Islamist militants who often kidnap for ransom.
The director-general of the International Committee of the Red Cross condemned the "barbaric act."
"All of us at the ICRC and at the British Red Cross share the grief and outrage of Khalil's family and friends," said Yves Daccord.
Dale's throat had been slit, according to Safdar Hussain, a doctor who examined the body.
Quetta police chief Ahsan Mahboob said the note attached to it read: "This is the body of Khalil who we have slaughtered for not paying a ransom amount."
Militants and criminal gangs often kidnap wealthy Pakistanis and less commonly, foreigners.
Years of humanitarianism
British Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned Dale's killing, and said "tireless efforts" had been under way to secure his release after he was kidnapped.
Khalil had worked for the Red Cross for years, carrying out assignments in Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq, the group said.
Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan Province, lies close to the Afghan border and for decades has hosted thousands of refugees from that country. The Red Cross operates clinics in the city that treat people wounded in the war in Afghanistan, including Taliban insurgents.
Much of Baluchistan and the tribal regions close to Afghanistan are out of Pakistani government control.
Also yesterday, American missiles killed three suspected militants sheltering in an abandoned school in North Waziristan. The strike comes as the US is trying to rebuild its relationship with Pakistan, which opposes the missile attacks and has demanded they stop. The frequency of the attacks, which critics say kill innocents and energize the insurgency, has dropped dramatically this year.
Khalil Rasjed Dale, 60, was managing a health program in the southwestern city of Quetta when armed men seized him from a street. The identities of his captors are unknown, but the region is home to separatist and Islamist militants who often kidnap for ransom.
The director-general of the International Committee of the Red Cross condemned the "barbaric act."
"All of us at the ICRC and at the British Red Cross share the grief and outrage of Khalil's family and friends," said Yves Daccord.
Dale's throat had been slit, according to Safdar Hussain, a doctor who examined the body.
Quetta police chief Ahsan Mahboob said the note attached to it read: "This is the body of Khalil who we have slaughtered for not paying a ransom amount."
Militants and criminal gangs often kidnap wealthy Pakistanis and less commonly, foreigners.
Years of humanitarianism
British Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned Dale's killing, and said "tireless efforts" had been under way to secure his release after he was kidnapped.
Khalil had worked for the Red Cross for years, carrying out assignments in Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq, the group said.
Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan Province, lies close to the Afghan border and for decades has hosted thousands of refugees from that country. The Red Cross operates clinics in the city that treat people wounded in the war in Afghanistan, including Taliban insurgents.
Much of Baluchistan and the tribal regions close to Afghanistan are out of Pakistani government control.
Also yesterday, American missiles killed three suspected militants sheltering in an abandoned school in North Waziristan. The strike comes as the US is trying to rebuild its relationship with Pakistan, which opposes the missile attacks and has demanded they stop. The frequency of the attacks, which critics say kill innocents and energize the insurgency, has dropped dramatically this year.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
