German doctor killed in Afghanistan

The German government strongly condemned the murder of eight foreign medical aid workers, including a German woman, in northern Afghanistan.

“The federal government is indignant over the dreadful attack in northern Afghanistan, which according to the information available, included among its victims several foreign aid workers, including a German citizen,” government spokeswoman Sabine Heimbach said in a statement.

The German government calls for a full inquiry into the attack and “the punishment of those responsible for the crime,” she said.

“Five men, all American, and three women, an American, German and Brit were killed,” said Dirk Frans, the executive director for the Christian charity International Assistance Mission (IAM).

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the killing, claiming the aid workers were “Christian missionaries” carrying Bibles.

IAM, whose annual report says its headquarters are in Kabul, says it provides the majority of eye care available to Afghans, running eye hospitals in Kabul, Herat, Mazar and Kandahar.

The police chief said local villagers had warned the group not to enter the dangerous forested area, but they insisted they would be safe because they were doctors, according to Saifullah’s statement.