Two Kidnapped Red Cross Workers Released

Two Red Cross staff members who were kidnapped in northern Jowzjan province of Afghanistan about seven months ago, have been released, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Tuesday.

“We are relieved and grateful that our colleagues are now back with us unharmed,” said the ICRC head of delegation in Afghanistan, Monica Zanarelli, “Their abduction and the killings of our six colleagues were emotional agony for all of us, especially for their families and friends.”

The two ICRC staff members were abducted by an armed group on 8 February 2017 while on their way to deliver assistance in Jawzjan province with six other colleagues who were shot and killed in the same attack.

“It has taken a lot of effort, and we are thankful to the communities and the authorities who have mobilized and played a role in facilitating our colleagues’ release,” added Ms. Zanarelli, “our priority now is their well-being and being reunited with their families. We ask everyone to respect their and their families’ privacy at this time.”

The Committee concluded that it won’t comment on the identity of the abductors, their motives or the details of the release.