UNAMA - Statements Attributable to Spokesman

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), Mr. Jean Arnault, expresses his shock and outrage at the brutal and cold-blooded murder yesterday of four employees of the Organization for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR), an Afghan implementing partner of the United Nations Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan (UNMACA). These are the first deminers to be killed in Afghanistan since October 2001.

These deminers are invisible heroes who without any thought of self put their own lives at enough risk everyday. The cowardly act committed against them cannot and will not be tolerated. The SRSG calls on the authorities to investigate and bring to justice those who seek to destroy the hard earned peace, obstruct positive advances and callously wage war on decent and innocent people. The SRSG extends his deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased.

For those of you who do not have the facts, yesterday at about 9:30 a.m. two OMAR vehicles returning to Herat from Farah City both came under fire on the Farah Road District in Shiwan Village. One of the drivers managed to contact the OMAR sub-office in Herat on the radio to notify them that all four occupants of the cars had been injured before communication stopped. Ten to 15 minutes later, the Chief of Farah Police who had heard the shots arrived on the scene and informed OMAR Herat by radio that all four personnel were dead. The Chief of Police took the four deceased and two damaged vehicles back to Farah City. Three of the deceased were from Herat and one from Laghman. UNMACA is transporting their bodies to their respective homes today.

Kabul, 15 February 2004

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		Statement Attributable to the Spokesman of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan
		The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), Mr. Jean Arnault, expresses his shock and outrage at the brutal and cold-blooded murder yesterday of four employees of the Organization for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR), an Afghan implementing partner of the United Nations Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan (UNMACA). These are the first deminers to be killed in Afghanistan since October 2001. These deminers are invisible heroes who without any thought of self put their own lives at enough risk everyday. The cowardly act committed against them cannot and will not be tolerated. The SRSG calls on the authorities to investigate and bring to justice those who seek to destroy the hard earned peace, obstruct positive advances and callously wage war on decent and innocent people. The SRSG extends his deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased. For those of you who do not have the facts, yesterday at about 9:30 a.m. two OMAR vehicles returning to Herat from Farah City both came under fire on the Farah Road District in Shiwan Village. One of the drivers managed to contact the OMAR sub-office in Herat on the radio to notify them that all four occupants of the cars had been injured before communication stopped. Ten to 15 minutes later, the Chief of Farah Police who had heard the shots arrived on the scene and informed OMAR Herat by radio that all four personnel were dead. The Chief of Police took the four deceased and two damaged vehicles back to Farah City. Three of the deceased were from Herat and one from Laghman. UNMACA is transporting their bodies to their respective homes today. Kabul, 15 February 2004 _______________


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