“He was a polio victim and he was under treatment in the hospital since he was 2 years old,” General Qaderi said. Her vision seemed to match that of Alberto Cairo, a local icon of sorts who leads the orthopedic service in Afghanistan and was one of the earlier International Red Cross staff members to come here. As Afghanistan has turned more violent in recent years, space has shrunk for aid work, with movement restricted and staff members often singled out. In February, six Red Cross staff members were killed in the north and two were abducted. “Our staff are humanitarian workers who seek only to improve the lives of victims of war,” the Red Cross statement announcing Ms. Perez’s death said.

Source: New York Times September 11, 2017 19:59 UTC