There are no plans by the International Committee of the Red Cross to suspend its overall mission in Afghanistan, UPI quoted a chief aid delegate as saying in Kabul. The ICRC said "unidentified armed men" attacked its office last week in Jalalabad. An Afghan guard employed by the organization was killed, though the rest of the staff of 36 in the city, including six expatriates, was uninjured. Gherardo Pontrandolfi, ICRC head of delegation in Kabul, said an investigation into the issue was under way. The Taliban issued a statement saying it wasn't behind the attack. Pontrandolfi said the incident wouldn't sway the ICRC from its aid mission in Afghanistan, however. "We are not suspending all operations in Afghanistan," he said in a statement Tuesday. "We are still gathering information and completing our initial analysis, so it is premature to say what effect this incident will have on our work in Afghanistan." He said some of the foreign staff members at the Jalalabad office were evacuated as a precaution, but adding the ICRC remains committed to its mission of providing protection to those affected by conflict in Afghanistan. NATO forces are preparing to shift engagement positions in Afghanistan from combat to training as national forces take over security responsibilities next year.
