Afghanistan: ICRC assists in handover of human remains

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14-01-2008 News release 08/5

Afghanistan: ICRC assists in handover of human remains

Kabul/Geneva (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has participated in the handover of remains that are thought to be those of members of the Russian crew killed in a helicopter crash in Shah Wali Kot, in the Kandahar province of southern Afghanistan, in December 2006.

The ICRC was requested by both the armed opposition in the area and the Russian authorities to act in its capacity as a neutral intermediary to facilitate the process that resulted in the recovery and handover of the remains.

The head of the ICRC delegation in Afghanistan, Reto Stocker, stressed that “the handover went ahead without conditions and on exclusively humanitarian grounds.”

The ICRC has been working in Afghanistan since 1987. It has repeatedly served as a neutral and independent intermediary in connection with prison riots and hostage releases, and has also helped to arrange the collection of human remains from the battlefield, allowing families to complete their mourning.

For further information, please contact:
Graziella Leite Piccolo, ICRC Kabul, tel: +93700 282 719
Carla Haddad, ICRC Geneva, tel :+41 22 730 24 05 or +41 79 217 32 26