18 July 2008 - Two French humanitarian aid workers for Action Against Hunger / Action contre la Faim (ACF) were kidnapped Friday, 18 July at 1.00am in the town of Nili in Afghanistan (Day Kundi Province). The kidnapping took place in the compound where the ACF team was sleeping. According to ACF knowledge, the two expatriates are alive.
The two kidnapped staff members are part of a team of 250+ local and expatriate aid workers providing relief to Afghan communities at risk of acute malnutrition. They were kidnapped from the base in Nili (the capital of Daikondi Province), which is located in central Afghanistan, about 310 km from Kabul.
ACF has suspended its current relief operations in Afghanistan, which last year helped more than 130,000 people. The organisation's primary concern at this point in time is securing the release of the two kidnapped staff members. A crisis unit has been set up in Paris and in Kabul.
ACF in Afghanistan
ACF was originally founded in 1979 specifically to help Afghan refugees. In 1995, ACF launched its first relief operations within the country, starting in Kabul and Pansheer; it has continued to be one of the leading humanitarian aid organisations in Afghanistan to the present day.
About ACF
Action Against Hunger / Action contre la Faim (ACF) is an international humanitarian organisation committed to saving the lives of malnourished children and their families in over 40 countries worldwide.
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Indian soldiers stand behind pictures of the Indian victims of last Monday's suicide attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul at a commemoration ceremony, July 13, 2008. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani (AFGHANISTAN) ...
