Aid workers shot dead in Pakistan

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Central/S. Asia

Wednesday, 10 March 2010 13:00

By Agencies

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Unidentified assailants have attacked the office of a Western aid agency in Pakistan, killing up to five people and wounding several others, according to police.

The victims, including two women, are all Pakistanis, Sajid Khan, a police official, said.

Wednesday's attack took place on the office of the World Vision, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), in Ogi, a small town in Mansehra district, 65km north of Islamabad.

Khan told the AFP news agency that some armed people had "stormed" the building of the NGO.

"They first set off a bomb and then opened fire. We don't know the exact number of casualties but initial reports suggest four to five people were killed," he said.

Grenades used

World Vision, a large Christian humanitarian group, is helping survivors of the October 2005 Kashmir earthquake in the area.

"We are deeply sorry we've lost staff members who were locals who were deeply committed to improving lives in Pakistan,'' James East, a World Vision spokesman, said.

Mansehra town has been a hub for relief efforts following the earthquake, which killed 73,000 people.

The area has been generally peaceful although there have been occasional incidents of violence.

In 2008, armed men attacked an office of the Plan International, a British-based charity that mainly helps children, killing four Pakistani staff members.

Mansehra is to the east of Swatwhere the army launched an offensive a year ago to clear out the Pakistani Taliban.

The deadly assault raised fears that the fighters might be pushed into Mansehra.

Fighters have killed other people working for foreign aid groups in Pakistan and issued statements saying such organisations were working against Islam.

The aid groups are seen by the fighters as a challenge to their authority in regions under their influence. This is because the NGOs mostly employ women workers and support female rights initiatives.