Taliban shoot dead Brit doctor

 

Killed ... Karen Woo

 

A BRITISH medic who was among 10 aid workers killed by gunmen in an ambush in a remote area of northern Afghanistan was named today by sources as Dr Karen Woo.

The bodies of the Dr Woo, six Americans, a German and two Afghan interpreters were found yesterday next to three bullet-riddled four-wheel drive vehicles in Kuran Wa Munjan district of Badakhshan province.
They had all been shot, police chief General Agha Noor Kemtuz said.

The family of Dr Woo, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, were too upset to comment today.
But a relative of Dr Woo's paid tribute to her on Facebook today. Cousin Loraine Nugent said: "My beautiful brave caring cousin Karen Woo has been killed delivering aid and medical care in Afghanistan. Why?
"She was there because she cared about others so much she helped so many. We are in shock.
"Love you so much Karen xxxxxx you were such an inspiration to our family xx."
Dr Woo was returning to Kabul after working in an eye clinic in the Nuristan province when her convoy was attacked.

Documentary

She had previously worked for private healthcare firm Bupa before she decided to do aid work in Afghanistan.
General Kemtuz added that a third Afghan man who was travelling with the group survived. Local police said about 10 gunmen robbed the group and killed them one by one.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the killings.

As well as providing healthcare and delivering medical supplies to remote destinations in the war-ridden country, Dr Woo was creating a documentary.
She said she wanted to use the medium of healthcare to show people living outside of Afghanistan what was happening in the country.
On an online charity forum, Bridge Afghanistan, she wrote: "The things that I saw during that visit made me, as a doctor, want to be able to bring back the human stories both good and bad.
"For the last few months I've been working with a small team of journalists and filmmakers as part of Bridge Afghanistan to put together a plan for the documentary I envisioned.
"The principal drivers are to use the medium of healthcare to provide an in road for people outside of Afghanistan to come on a journey with me as I explain what it is I am seeing.
"The access that a doctor or healthcare professional has to a community is unlike that available to a journalist; the trust and conversations are different.

Threat ... Taliban fighters

"The insight is through the lens of birth and death, of loss and disability, and reflects every aspect of the consequences of conflict on individuals and on their community. The loss of nearly all elements of the infrastructure of a country; security, governance, education, transport, clean water, sanitation and power, are all visible in the health of the people.''

Investigation

The Foreign Office said it was "urgently investigating''.
Dirk Frans, director of the International Assistance Mission (IAM), said the eight-member medical team was driving to Kabul from an eye clinic in Nuristan province when they were killed.
The group had decided to head through Badakhshan to return to the capital because they thought that would be the safest route, Mr Frans said.
A statement on the Christian charity's website said: "This tragedy negatively impacts our ability to continue serving the Afghan people as IAM has been doing since 1966.
"We hope it will not stop our work that benefits over a quarter of a million Afghans each year."
Gen Kemtuz added that a third Afghan man, who was travelling with the group, survived. Local police said about 10 gunmen robbed the group and killed them one by one.