Kabul [Afghanistan], August 20 : The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed that 38 workers were killed during the last years, reported Tolo News.
The OCHA humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan Daniel Endres said that most of them were polio vaccinators and deminers in the country.
Endres noted, "We salute their courage and celebrate their dedication to serving humanity we also take a moment to pause to recognize those humanitarian workers who have lost their lives and were injured, abducted, arrested or remain in captivity or detention… 38 workers were killed during the last two years many of whom were polio vaccinators and deminers.”
Moreover, Asadullah Nadim, a military analyst said, "The Taliban government, which is currently in power, has a legal obligation to ensure the safety of aid workers and those who are engaged in distributing aid to the people of Afghanistan."
However, despite the shortage of funding for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, last year UN employees provided humanitarian aid to more than 26 million people in 401 districts of Afghanistan, reported Tolo News.
“Humanitarian needs in Afghanistan reached more than 29 million people in need of assistance,” Endres added.
Whereas the Taliban spokesperson denied the claims made by the coordinator of humanitarian aid and said that the aid workers in Afghanistan have the support of the Taliban, Tolo News reported.
Zabiullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesperson said, "The Western institutions are all coordinated in presenting Afghanistan as an unsafe region and have started and are continuing their propaganda. This is not true; the Afghans are witnessing, and we are also witnessing that the aid workers were not harmed."
Furthermore, eight health workers, including four women were shot and killed in separate attacks in February 2022, according to Tolo News.
The attacks were made by unidentified gunmen in the northern province of Kunduz and Takhar.
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