The International Assistance Mission, IAM, reports that two of its missionaries in Herat, Afghanistan, have been killed.

Thu 24 Jul, 2014

With deep sadness we confirm that today, July 24th, two Finnish expatriate female staff members of IAM were killed in Herat.  The women were in a vehicle in the Shar – e – Now area of Herat when two men on a motorcycle shot and killed them.

The two aid workers had been serving with IAM in Afghanistan for a number of years and had also lived in Herat for several years. They both spoke Dari well and knew and respected the culture of Afghanistan. One of the female staff workers first came to Afghanistan in 1999 and returned a year and a half ago after a break of several years. She was helping to establish social work within IAM’s mental health project in Herat.  The other woman had just returned to Afghanistan a few days earlier to work as the Team Leader of IAM in Herat.  She first came to Afghanistan in 1998 and worked in Kabul and later as the Project Manager of IAM’s Community Development Project in Herat.   She was also supporting our Business Development project for illiterate women.  Our prayers are with their relatives, friends, Afghan and international colleagues.

Dr Heini Mäkilä, Acting Executive Director

International Assistance Mission (IAM)

www.iam-afghanistan.org