Aid workers take more precautions following attack

Staff working for the French media training NGO, AINA, are taking extra safety precautions following a suicide attack near an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) military hospital in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in which one worker was killed and another two injured. "We have restricted our movement by foot and are only going out for essential trips accompanied in cars," the director of AINA, Victor Marc, told IRIN from Kabul on Tuesday. The attack, which took place at approximately 16:00 local time (11:30 GMT), on 19 December, claimed the life of Habibullah, an Afghan aid worker, and injured Eric Coorevits, a journalist, who suffered extensive shrapnel wounds, and Elsa Leroy, another AINA staff member, who was later released from hospital with minor wounds. Both are being evacuated to France. "The health and safety of our staff is our main concern right now," Marc added. The aid workers were near the German ISAF military hospital on the outskirts of Kabul collecting medicine when the attacker, who had a grenade strapped to himself, threw two hand grenades into the compound, killing himself and Habibullah. "We would like to pay our condolences to the family of Habibullah. It is a great loss to us all," Marc said. Although it is believed that the attack was not directly aimed at AINA staff, and it was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Marc said additional precautions were being taken at the AINA premises. "There is strict security at our building and thorough searches," he said. "We are also calling in security experts to advise our staff." Commenting on the present mood of staff, he said: "They are committed and although they do feel vulnerable at this point in time, they will continue their work the best they can." Marc said it would be virtually impossible to stop such attacks from happening. "It is impossible to search everyone in this city. It just cannot be done." There have been many attacks on the ISAF and the public in Kabul this year, with no clear statistics on how many have been killed or injured, despite the presence of the protection force. However, officers remain adamant that security is stabilising. "If you compare Kabul to what it was like one year ago, I think we have come a long way, and it is safer," a spokesman for the Turkish ISAF, Capt Mufit Yilmaz, told IRIN from Kabul. "Our men are on the streets, and ISAF is making efforts to ensure that Afghans and foreigners are safe in this city," he added. News of the suicide attack came as more than 150 rockets were seized by local authorities in eastern Afghanistan, AP reported. A total of 168 BM-12 rockets and an antitank mine were found on Sunday. According to local commanders, the weapons were bound for remnants of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Men travelling in a truck carrying the weapons intercepted near the mountainous region of Tora Bora were pursued by soldiers, but no arrests were made. Meanwhile, another 10 rockets were found in the nearby town of Farmada.