Relief agency abandons its work in Afghanistan

NOBEL prize-winning relief agency Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced yesterday it was pulling out of Afghanistan because of the killing of five of its staff and the danger of further attacks.

The group said it was also leaving because it was unhappy with a government investigation into the June 2 deaths and with the "co-option of humanitarian aid" by US-led forces there "for military and political motives."

The group said in a statement that it regretted having to leave Afghanistan, where it has been operating for 24 years. "It is with outrage and bitterness that we take the decision to abandon the Afghan people", it said.