IRC Mourns Loss of Colleague in Afghanistan Air Strike

Logar Province, Afghanistan - 08 Apr 2009 -   Fazl Ullah Hazrat Gul, an IRC aid worker, was killed on April 2 in a nighttime air bombardment of a village in the Baraki Barak district of Logar Province, IRC staff in the area reported. The attack reportedly targeted an armed group of insurgents in the area and mistakenly hit a house where Fazullulah, as he was known to colleagues, was visiting a relative.

“We are all deeply saddened by the tragic death of Fazullulah and extend our heartfelt sympathies to his entire family,” said IRC president George Rupp. Fazullulah was very much committed to helping his country and his fellow Afghans. Colleagues throughout Afghanistan will miss him terribly.”

Fazullulah, 27, came from Baraki Barak and joined the IRC in 2007. He was a community outreach worker aiding the National Solidarity Program, a nationwide government project aimed at strengthening local governance and providing resources so that rural communities can address their own reconstruction and development needs. 

Fazullulah is survived by his wife and five children. IRC staff members in Afghanistan are providing support to the family and taking part in the funeral. 

On August 13, 2008, IRC staff members Shirley Case, Nicole Dial, Jackie Kirk, and Mohammad Aimal were killed in Logar Province when their clearly-marked IRC vehicle came under heavy gunfire. On July 17, 2007, IRC staff member Akram Mohammad Gul and his driver Mustafa Sayed Abdullah were shot and killed during an ambush on their car as they were driving to work in the Charkh district of Logar.