Militants armed with guns and grenades stormed the offices of a US-based Christian charity in Pakistan yesterday, killing five aid workers in an attack blamed on Islamist insurgents.
The gunmen besieged the World Vision building near Oghi town in Mansehra district of North West Frontier Province,where Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked militants have been waging a deadly campaign of attacks.
Police and World Vision’s regional spokesman said five Pakistani staff, including two women, were killed and seven other employees wounded when up to 15 gunmen arrived in pick-up vehicles and began firing on the aid workers and detonating hand grenades.
“They gathered all of us in one room. The gunmen, some of whom had their faces covered, also snatched our mobile phones,” said World Vision administration officer Mohammad Sajidm, who was in the office at the time.
“They dragged people one by one and shifted to an adjacent room and shot and killed them,” he said.
Rienk van Velzen, World Vision’s regional communications director, said by telephone from the Netherlands that all staff in the office were Pakistani.
“The sad news is that five local colleagues were killed — three male and two female. We have seven colleagues injured … one is missing,” he said.
World Vision has been working in the area since October 2005, when aid workers flooded into the northwest after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless.
Many charities have since left the area, however, as Islamist violence has soared. The UN decided last year to relocate a limited number of its international staff from Pakistan because of security concerns.
In February 2008, four aid workers with the British-based group Plan International were killed in a similar gun and grenade attack in Mansehra town.
Ahmed blamed the attack on “the same people who are destroying our schools” — a reference to Taliban militants opposed to coed education who have blown up hundreds of schools in recent years.
“Now they want to disturb relief work in quake-hit areas,” Ahmed said.
However, Azam Tariq, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, said he was unaware of the attack.
“I have no knowledge about the incident and would not like to offer any comment,” he said by telephone.
World Vision’s Web site describes the group as “a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization” founded by a US minister.
It says the aid group is “inspired by our Christian values,” adding that the organization does not proselytize or hinge aid on a person’s faith.
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