5 female polio workers shot dead

[druidravi]

http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-pakistan-polio-shootings-20121218,0,5964997.story

Spoiler :

Five female anti-polio workers in Pakistan were slain Tuesday by gunmen on motorcycles, police said, on the second day of a three-day national immunization campaign.

Police said the women in Karachi were shot in the head at close range in well-coordinated attacks using 9-millimeter pistols. The killings occurred within 15 minutes of each other in three different locations within the sprawling city.

As of late Tuesday, no one had taken responsibility for the attacks, said Sana Bari, Geneva-based spokeswoman for the World Health Organization, making it difficult to discern their motives. She called for local law enforcement to bring those responsible to justice.

In June, warlords and local leaders in North and South Waziristan banned the vaccination program, accusing health workers of spying for the U.S. as part of its unmanned drone program. Leaflets distributed in the Wana subdivision of South Waziristan cited the case of Dr. Shakil Afridi, who helped the CIA hunt down Osama bin Laden by conducting a fake vaccination program in Abbottabad.

"On the one hand, they are killing innocent children in drone strikes, while on the other hand they are saving their lives by vaccinating them," the pamphlet said. "It's like a wolf in sheep's clothing."

So the fake vaccination program used to confirm Bin Laden's hideout biting back ? Drones not helping the cause either?. I actually don't find anything wrong in the way Bin Laden was taken out . I don't support drones though . Too many civilians are dying and US takes no responsibly for their deaths .

I wouldn't be surprised to find the Pakistani Taliban behind this . After the backlash they faced over publicly claiming credit for shooting Malala , they seem to be keeping quiet this time. But the act is similar, striking weak civilian targets(read women) who cannot retaliate back .

 

[Tee Kay]

What the hell is this even supposed to achieve... no matter, terror has became an end in itself.

Jinnah's rolled so much in his grave, he's circumnavigated the globe twice.

 

[kochman]

Clearly they need to make guns illegal in Pakistan.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

<snip>

Moderator Action: Uncalled for. Inappropriate. Childish.Try adding substance to the discussion; thanks.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

 

[Synobun]

It physically pains me to know there are savages like this living on the Earth and not in the movies.

 

[Borachio]

The trouble is, this is by no means the worst.

And do Western Governments use NGO's as cover for espionage? I rather think they do.

 

[Synobun]

The trouble is, this is by no means the worst.

Oh, I know it's not the worst.

Regardless of whether or not the government uses these females or men as espionage paths, you don't just kill those you suspect and move on nonchalantly, taking pride in your actions.

Well, you certainly can do that, but...

 

[Formaldehyde]

This was exactly the concern that was expressed back when it was discovered that the CIA had used the immunization program in such a way. So now some are surprised that it has actually occurred?

 

[Farm Boy]

Sounds like all the big men on both sides think that proving their nuts swing the most is worth more than the lives of children. Color me unfortunately unsurprised.

 

[Arwon]

So the fake vaccination program used to confirm Bin Laden's hideout biting back ?

You'd think at least partly.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Clearly they need to make guns illegal in Pakistan.

They need to goto the Church Mosque a lot more because Islamic fundamentalist schools help reduce gun violence.

 

[druidravi]

3 more health workers killed today as UN recalls health workers from Pakistan
http://zeenews.india.com/news/south...-polio-workers-killed-in-pakistan_817634.html

Spoiler :

Islamabad: United Nations said that it was recalling its staff involved in anti-polio drive in Pakistan as three more health workers were killed on Wednesday in four incidents of firing in Pakistan's northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bringing the death toll to nine.



The anti-polio campaign was halted in various areas of the country following the attack, stumbling the government's efforts for the eradication of the disease.


No group claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but in the past Pakistan Taliban threatened to launch attack at polio- eradication teams.

The militants are against the anti-polio drive in the country because they believe the United States is using the program as a cover for espionage and the workers associated with the campaign are potential spies.

Pakistan is one of the world's three countries along with Afghanistan and Nigeria where the polio disease still exists. In 2011, an estimated 173 cases of polio were registered across the county, following which the government speeded up the eradication campaign. According to official statistics, only 56 cases have been registered across the country this year, thanks to anti-polio vaccination.

The Pakistani government has declared polio as emergency and planned to target 33 million children for vaccination in 20102. Some 88,000 health workers were also enrolled across the country to deliver vaccination drops.

 

[Tee Kay]

What the hell is this even supposed to achieve

I guess keeping the population poor, sick and in fear suits the Taliban agenda; it's how they recruit fresh cannonfodder.

 

[WindFish]

Clearly this tragedy would never have happened if all 5 were armed

amrite Kochman?

 

[Farm Boy]

Clearly this tragedy would never have happened if all 5 were armed

amrite Kochman?

I dunno. Is this serious? It probably wouldn't have mattered, I don't think many people suffer under the impression that if an assassination squad of men comes after you, having a 9mm stuffed down your skirt or pants is going to make much of a difference in the status of your pulse by the time the next sun comes up. Is it more an issue of should UN aid workers be armed guests in the countries where they work? Should they have an armed guard(s) posted with them at all times? Would it really matter terribly much if there were no guns at all in this situation, even from the aggressors? It seems to me there is something of an undercurrent of big manly men in some(probably all) societies that would be more than happy to brutalize and kill those weaker than themselves be they aid workers or school girls. Does this particular conversation have a well-suited place in this thread which seems to be keeping most of its substance in "how should western governments involve or not involve espionage operations in aid efforts?"

 

[WindFish]

I dunno. Is this serious? It probably wouldn't have mattered, I don't think many people suffer under the impression that if an assassination squad of men comes after you, having a 9mm stuffed down your skirt or pants is going to make much of a difference in the status of your pulse by the time the next sun comes up. Is it more an issue of should UN aid workers be armed guests in the countries where they work? Should they have an armed guard(s) posted with them at all times? Would it really matter terribly much if there were no guns at all in this situation, even from the aggressors? It seems to me there is something of an undercurrent of big manly men in some(probably all) societies that would be more than happy to brutalize and kill those weaker than themselves be they aid workers or school girls. Does this particular conversation have a well-suited place in this thread which seems to be keeping most of its substance in "how should western governments involve or not involve humanitarian operations in aid efforts?"

Nah, Kochman made a comment about guns being banned in Pakistan.

 

[Farm Boy]

I skipped that, sorry. Well taken.

 

[~Corsair#01~]

I think that a lot of the problem with western perception of muslims is the way that when innocent people like these are murdered by muslims, its widely reported and taken to be evidence of the barbarity of that whole mass of people. But when the CIA blows up 10 or 15 innocent people its just an accident, as if the drone fired the missiles due to some sort of technical malfunction.

I'm not defending the murder of aid workers, but I'm just saying that if we regarded the murder of civilians by our armed forces the same way we regard the murder of civilians by islamist groups, then maybe we "westerners" wouldn't be reviled by so much of the world. And maybe these aid workers would still be alive.

 

[MobBoss]

This was exactly the concern that was expressed back when it was discovered that the CIA had used the immunization program in such a way. So now some are surprised that it has actually occurred?

So let me get this straight. 5 polio workers get gunned down in Pakistan...and you blame the CIA for it?

 

[Synobun]

So let me get this straight. 5 polio workers get gunned down in Pakistan...and you blame the CIA for it?

Everyone knows that radicals only exist because Americans are meanie buttheads.