Red Cross says gunmen in Syria abduct 7 aid workers
Print Edition
Gunmen abducted six Red Cross workers and a local volunteer of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in northwest Syria yesterday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.
The humanitarian agency had no contact with the unidentified gunmen but was appealing for the seven to be freed immediately, ICRC spokesman Ewan Watson said, declining to reveal the nationalities or gender of the six ICRC staff for now.
“I am able to confirm that six ICRC staff members and one Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteer have been abducted near Idlib in northwestern Syria,” Watson said in Geneva yesterday.
“We are calling for their immediate and unconditional release of this team which was delivering humanitarian assistance to those most in need — and we do that on both sides of the frontlines,” he said.
Syrian state media reported that the gunmen had kidnapped the Red Cross workers after opening fire on their vehicles yesterday.
Quoting an unnamed official, state news agency SANA said the workers were traveling in the Idlib area when gunmen blocked their path, shot at their convoy, seized them and took them to an unknown location.
“An armed terrorist group today kidnapped a number of workers in the mission of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Syria,” it said.
Watson was not able to confirm that shots had been fired, but said the team’s vehicles were also missing.
The team had been on their way back to Damascus after delivering medical supplies in Sarmin and Idlib, he said.
Kidnappings have become increasingly common in northern Syria, where rebels have captured swathes of territory but government forces have clung on to many urban centers and fighting continues daily.
The over two-and-a-half-year conflict has claimed more than 100,000 lives and driven more than 2.1 million refugees out of their shattered homeland.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
