The aid workers with Save the Children, were taken in Trinkot, the capital of Uruzgan province, on March 3, 2015, according to a statement by the United Nations, as reported by SkyNews. The five men were there to check on a project they were involved with.
Dost Mohammad Nayab, a provincial spokesman, said that some villagers had come across the bodies of the aid workers on Friday in the Chinarto district. He put the blame for the deaths on the Taliban because the villagers refused to help with a prisoner exchange.
“The Taliban had kidnapped the aid workers and were demanding the release of some of their colleagues in government custody,” said Dost Mohammad Nayab. “After their demand was rejected, they shot and killed the aid workers. We found their bodies in Chanarto district yesterday.”
Zubaida Akbar is a senior communications officer with Save the Children in Afghanistan. She confirmed the deaths of the aid workers, saying no one has claimed responsibility for the deaths. “Five of our staff members were abducted more than five weeks ago. Tragically we have learned that they have been killed,” she said.
Afghanistan continues to be a very dangerous place for relief workers. In 2013, 81 aid workers were killed, and in 2014, an additional 57 people working for aid organizations lost their lives, according to the U.N.
“Afghanistan is one of the most challenging places for the humanitarian community, with death, kidnappings and attacks against humanitarians all too frequent,” said Mark Bowden, the UN’s Afghanistan coordinator.
“I call on all parties to ensure that those providing humanitarian assistance have safe access to people in need and can carry out their life-saving work unhindered,” he added.
