Italian workers held in Afghan assassination plot
- Three Italians, six Afghans planned suicide attacks, authorities claim
- Targets allegedly included southern Helmand governor, Gulab Mangal
- Suspects worked for Italian medical charity Emergency in Lashkar Gah
- Authorities found suicide vests, explosives hidden amid medicine at clinic
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan authorities have arrested three Italian medical workers in a plot to assassinate the governor of the southern Helmand province.
The three workers were arrested Saturday along with six Afghans from a hospital run by Milan-based Emergency in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province.
Emergency is one of the few foreign-run clinics in the city.
The nine were planning to conduct suicide attacks in the province, said Daud Ahmad, the provincial governor's spokesman.
Authorities said the suspects had taken $500,000 from the Pakistan Taliban to launch their attack in a crowded location when Gov. Gulab Mangal was present.
Authorities found two suicide vests, two pistols and explosives hidden in medicine cartons at the clinic, Ahmad said.
Emergency has maintained a presence in Afghanistan for more than a decade, with its Lashkar Gah clinic treating more than 66,000 people, the group said.
In 2007, a hospital staffer mediated between the Afghan government and the Taliban to secure the release of kidnapped Italian journalist Danielle Mastrogiacomo.
Mastrogiacomo was freed but an Afghan translator, Ajmal Naqshbandi, was killed by militants.
Afghan authorities now say the three arrested Italians killed Naqshbandi.
The Italian government could not immediately be reached for comment.
The charity said it has not been able to reach the three employees by phone.
"This accusation sounds simply groundless to us, and we are absolutely certain that the truth will come forth quickly," the nongovernment organization said in a statement on its Web site.
Afghan authorities have not contacted it to explain the reasons for the detention, the group said.
"These are individuals who for years have been working to ensure medical treatment for the Afghan people," the statement said. "We ask that their rights be respected, the first of which is to allow them to communicate with us and let us know their personal conditions."
Journalist Matiullah Mati contributed to this report.
After reading this brief report there seem to be alot of missing questions and this story is filled with holes. First, what would the Italians want the governor assassinated for?; If they were allowed to work in his province then what would be the means of wanting to kill him, as the article stated they were some of few outsourced agencies in the region.
ReplyDeleteSecond, if this is the first event that shed back press on the Italians working there for over a decade then this really seems like a hazy if not false report or even a set up. What proof is there that the Italian men bought the explosives, weapons and vests and had a plan to assassinate the governor. Perhaps it could have been angered local Afghans that were displeased with the Governor's performance in office.
To me this appears like a set up of some sort to create bad press and possibly some problems for "westerners" helping to rebuild Afghanistan. The article itself even states that the Italian company had been there for over a decade, mentioned nothing of a previous incident. To me, from what the article mentioned is that the Taliban had its hand in this to try and stir up trouble for the people trying to rebuild and fix Afghanistan. Perhaps by trying to make the country appear to be in worse shape than it is; or to simply say that they (the Taliban) are still around and present. Either way, I do not really buy the fact that the Italians were behind this plot- I could be wrong.
what do you think Jenda? Why did you post this article? What was important for you?
ReplyDelete