By KUNA,
Kabul : The New York-based International Rescue Committee (IRC) has suspended its operations in Afghanistan after the killing of four of its workers there.
Three foreign women and their Afghan driver were shot dead by armed men in Afghanistan’s central province of Logar on Wednesday. The team was on way from Paktia province to the country’s central capital Kabul.
Those killed in the attack included nationals of British Columbia, the United States and Canada, besides their Afghan driver.
The IRC has been involved in humanitarian work in Afghanistan for the past 25 years.
In a statement issued by its headquarters, the IRC said it was stunned and profoundly saddened by this tragic loss.
It said the people killed by the attackers were committed to their work in Afghanistan and they wanted to serve the people, especially children of this war-ravaged and impoverished country.
The statement added that the group had suspended its operations indefinitely.
Claiming responsibility for the attack on the aid workers, Taliban spokesman Zabeehullah Mujahid claimed, in a statement, that all those killed were military personnel.
“We will kill any one working for the foreign troops,” said Mujahid.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai had condemned the killing of the aid workers, saying the crime was unforgivable and those involved were enemies of Afghanistan.