Red Cross gives first aid instruction to Taliban

Philippine Times Tuesday 25th May, 2010

The Red Cross in Afghanistan has offered first aid training to members of the Taliban, because they have not had access to treatment on the battlefield.

The Red Cross has said it gave the Taliban the training and some medical equipment to help fighters wounded in battles with NATO and Afghanistan forces.

The International Committee of the Red Cross told the Guardian that because of battles, landmines and roadblocks, Taliban soldiers had not been able to transport their colleagues to hospitals and places where their wounds could be tended to.

Saying it needed to remain neutral in the Afghanistan conflict, the organisation said it had also trained Afghan soldiers, policemen and taxi-drivers, who sometimes act as a make-shift ambulance service in Helmand and Kandahar.

The highly controversial issue has enraged some members of the Afghanistan government, but NATO officials have said they have tremendous respect for the humanitarian work carried out by the Red Cross and recognise the need for their work to be carried out impartially.