UN says 30 humanitarian workers killed in Afghanistan in last 2 years

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Saturday that at least 30 humanitarian aid workers were killed in Afghanistan in the last two years.

In a video message on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day, OCHA’s humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, Daniel Endres, said that many of the humanitarian workers killed were polio vaccinators and deminers.

He said that last year, aid workers assisted vulnerable communities and families, reaching more than 26 million people across all of the country’s 401 districts despite the challenging environment.

“Yet, funding is drying up, threatening the lives and well-being of millions of people. We cannot allow this to happen. People around the world are depending on humanitarians to step up when others can’t or are unwilling, no matter who they are, no matter where they are, no matter what,” Endres said.

The Islamic Emirate, however, rejected the claim that humanitarian workers were killed in Afghanistan.

“The work priorities of the security departments, especially the Ministry of Interior Affairs, have been and continue to be the security of embassies and diplomatic representatives, especially the United Nations and other organizations represented in Afghanistan,” said Abdul Matin Qane, a spokesman for the interior ministry.

“We ensured their security in the center and provinces in the best possible way. We completely reject the claims made in these matters,” he added.