DEMINING CHARITY TO REMAIN IN AFGHANISTAN DESPITE DEADLY ATTACK

Despite an attack that left 10 of its demining personnel dead, British-American charity Halo Trust plans to stay and continue its work in Afghanistan, chief executive James Cowan said in a video published, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Noting that the group could use the incident as an excuse to leave, Cowan said “we could be fearful of what is happening in Afghanistan. But we still have a job to do.”

Cowman said that many of the slain workers belonged to the Shiite Hazara ethnicity – a community that has frequently come under attack by Islamic State fighters in recent years. Another 16 workers of the charity were wounded in the attack, which happened in the Baghlan-e Markazi district of the northern province of Baghlan.

The Islamic State terrorist militia claimed responsibility for the attack on Wednesday. On its Nashir News platform, Islamic State said: "soldiers of the caliphate" had opened fire with machine guns on the workers, killing more than 60 people and taking equipment and supplies.

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