Red Cross may cut back Iraqi operations

The International Red Cross is considering cutting back its operations in Iraq following a bomb attack that shook the neutral Swiss-run organisation.

“Such an attack is a major blow for us,” said spokesman Florian Westphal in Geneva. “It’s a big shock. It is obviously impossible to move onto a normal day’s business, so we really have to step back and take stock.”

The attack killed two Iraqi employees of the ICRC and as many as 10 other people outside the agency’s compound, Westphal said.

Several ICRC employees were slightly injured inside the compound. He said

“It’s too early for us at the moment to say how this attack will impact on our activities,” Westphal said.

“We will have a fairly clear idea within the next few days how we want to proceed.”

Westphal said much of the ICRC operation focusses on the agency’s visits to prisoners held by coalition forces and the Iraqi police – a main part of the agency’s mandate under the Geneva Conventions on warfare and occupation.

It also offers emergency medical aid in conjunction with the Iraqi Red Crescent, provides water and sanitation and educates Iraqis on how to avoid land mines and other explosives left over from warfare.

Westphal said that weeks ago the agency had received ”unspecified warnings that we may at one stage or another be the targets of an attack,” but said the ICRC didn’t know who would want to target the organisation.

The warnings had been “relayed” to the ICRC, Westphal said.