Two Finnish aid workers have been killed in a gun attack in western Afghanistan.
Reports say two gunmen on motorcycles shot the women as they travelled in a taxi in the city of Herat earlier on Thursday. The motorcyclists fled the scene but a spokesperson for the Afghanistani Interior Ministry said one person has been detained. Police say they are searching for the killers.
News of the deaths was confirmed on Thursday afternoon by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Twitter.
The victims are believed to have been psychiatrists working for the International Assistance Mission charity. The identities of the two women have not yet been confirmed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the National Bureau of Investigation should play a role in the investigation. The Afghan authorities take the main responsibility for the probe.
President Sauli Niinistö has offered his condolences and expressed his shock at the atrocity.
"The Finnish women's barbaric slaying touches us all," said Niinistö in a statement. "The act is all the more shocking because the women were in Afghanistan to help the local people."
Prime Minister Alexander Stubb also expressed his shock at the killings in his own statement.
"We are faced with a great tragedy. Now, it is important the we support the bereaved families. Finland requires that a thorough investigation be conducted to bring those guilty to justice. Finland must also reassess the security situation in Afghanistan," Prime Minister Stubb said.
Sanna Selin, an Afghanistan expert from Finland's Foreign Ministry says that western Afghanistan had been regarded as a relatively safe area. She says that the south and east of the country have been the centre of more unrest.
There are currently 41 Finns in Afghanistan who have registered with the Foreign Ministry.
Organisation safety protocols; attack ‘somewhat’ premeditated
Ari Mäki, Finland’s ambassador in Kabul, expressed his concern over the Finnish aid workers’ deaths, and considered the attack surprising. Western Afghanistan has experienced less restlessness than the rest of the country.
“The safety situation in Afghanistan is inconsistent throughout,” Mäki said, “with areas of high risk and other areas that are more secure.”
He cites the security situation is Kabul as being “good,” and that different aid organisations have different safety protocols that they adhere to.
“The employers answer for the security of their employees,” he said.
An expert at the Finnish National Defense University, Captain Antti Paronen says that the strike on the two psychiatrists was at least partially premeditated.
“They probably looked like Westerners representing a Western organisation, against which the attackers have wanted to strike,” he speculated. “It’s difficult to say whether these women in particular were targeted.”
Paronen also says that the manner in which the aid workers were killed is not unusual in Afghanistan, which sees a great deal of shootings as well as bombings.
“Small-caliber military firearms are quite readily available in the country, which makes gun-related incidents likely,” he explained, echoing Mäki in saying that despite this the city of Herat is not an especially hazardous Afghanistan city.
16:24: This story was updated to include more details and quotes from Alexander Stubb and Sauli Niinistö.
18:45: This story was updated to include quotes from Ari Mäki and Antti Paronen.
