Death of Linda Norgrove
Linda Norgrove | |
---|---|
Korengal Valley, Kunar Province, Afghanistan | |
Education | |
Occupation | Humanitarian aid worker |
On 26 September 2010, British
Norgrove's captors demanded the release of
Initial reports said that she had been killed by an explosion set off by one of her captors. A joint official investigation by the United Kingdom and the United States later concluded that her fatal injuries were inflicted by a grenade thrown by one of her rescuers. A February 2011 coroner's narrative verdict reported that Norgrove died during the failed rescue attempt. In October 2012, one of her colleagues said in an interview that the captors had told Norgrove that they had no intention of killing her.
Early life, education and work
Norgrove was born in
In 2002, Norgrove received a
Kidnapping
On 26 September 2010, Norgrove and three Afghan colleagues were travelling in the
Dressed in men's clothing by her captors, she was taken first into the mountains
Negotiations
It was unclear at first who had kidnapped Norgrove and her colleagues. A Taliban commander, the Pakistan-based Mohammed Osman, was reported to demand the release of Aafia Siddiqui in return for Norgrove's freedom. Siddiqui, known as "Lady al-Qaeda", had received an 86-year prison sentence in the US on 26 September.[21][22] "We are lucky that we abducted this British woman soon after the ruthless ruling by an American court on Aafia Siddiqui. We will demand the release of Aafia Siddiqui in exchange for her", said Osman.[23]
Other Afghan sources denied any link to Osman.
The three Afghans captured with Norgrove were released on 3 October.
Rescue attempt and death
Intelligence reports indicated that a group of local elders were calling for Norgrove to be executed "like the Russian" (a possible reference to the
The SEALs staged a predawn raid on the Taliban hillside
At approximately 3:30 am, 20 SEALs and about 24 US Army Rangers from the
During the gunfight, Norgrove's captors dragged her outside the building where she was being held, but she apparently broke away from them. Video footage of the raid showed an explosion in her vicinity; Norgrove was then found, injured, in a
Norgrove was removed from the scene via helicopter and received medical care, but she died.
Joint investigation
The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, announced Norgrove's death. In a written statement, he said that after receiving information on her location it was "decided that, given the danger she was facing, her best chance of safe release was to act on that information."[9] David Cameron, the UK Prime Minister, defended the rescue attempt: "Decisions on operations to free hostages are always difficult. But where a British life is in such danger, and where we and our allies can act, I believe it is right to try".[40]
On 10 October, an unnamed Afghan intelligence officer said that Norgrove was killed by a grenade thrown by one of her captors.[38][40] The following day, Cameron said that new information indicated Norgrove may have accidentally been killed by a US grenade.[12] A US military statement read: "Subsequent review of surveillance footage and discussions with members of the rescue team do not conclusively determine the cause of her death".[12][39]
While the military investigation was conducted, Norgrove's body was returned to the United Kingdom on 14 October on a
On 2 December, Hague announced the results of the joint investigation, which concluded that Norgrove was accidentally killed by a grenade thrown by a US sailor.[38] Navy SEALs did not immediately notify senior officers about throwing the grenade; this breached military law,[38] and a number of sailors were disciplined.[38]
A
Tributes
James Boomgard, regional director for
Norgrove received the 2011 Robert Burns Humanitarian Award posthumously for her work in Afghanistan.[52] Her family has established the Linda Norgrove Foundation to continue her relief work.[53]
See also
References
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- ^ a b "Island community mourns kidnapped aid worker". BBC News. 9 October 2010. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ "She liked knowing the place she lived". KVAL CBS 13. 12 October 2010. Archived from the original on 14 October 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
- ^ Carole Erskine (9 October 2010). "Afghanistan: Linda Norgrove Dedicated To Afghanistan After Being Murdered By Insurgents". Sky News. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
- ^ Harrison, David (10 October 2010). "Murdered aid worker Linda Norgrove dedicated life to helping world's poor". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 14 October 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
- ^ Cowing, Emma (10 October 2010). "Killed hostage's life packed with travel and helping others". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Archived from the original on 13 October 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
- ^ "WWF pays tribute to Linda Norgrove WWF". 10 October 2010. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
- ^ a b Beverley Rouse (11 October 2010). "A sad end to a life packed with adventure and helping people". Press & Journal. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
- ^ a b c d "British hostage in Afghanistan killed during rescue attempt". CNN. 9 October 2010. Archived from the original on 12 October 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
- ^ "Profile: Linda Norgrove – From Lewis croft to a career in world's hotspots". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 11 October 2010. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
- ^ "Rescuers may have killed hostage". BBC. 11 October 2010. Archived from the original on 13 October 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
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- ^ a b "NATO Probes Death of Aid Worker in Afghanistan". NPR. 11 October 2010. Archived from the original on 24 October 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
- ^ Taylor, Matthew; Walsh, Declan; Borger, Julian; Norton-Taylor, Richard (11 October 2010). "Linda Norgrove: Necessity of rescue operation by US troops put into doubt". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ Starkey, Jerome (10 October 2010). "Navy Seals' nighttime raid thwarted by Afghan captors". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Archived from the original on 14 October 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
- ^ "Bringing aid to the Afghans: A deadly occupation". CNN. 20 October 2010. Archived from the original on 15 August 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
- ^ Sawer, Patrick (9 October 2010). "Kidnapped aid worker killed as Navy Seals mounted rescue". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
- ^ Cole, Matthew (10 January 2017). "The Crimes of Seal Team 6". The Intercept. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^ "Family outrage at claims Scots aid worker Linda Norgrove worked for MI6". HeraldScotland. 15 January 2017. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ a b c Starkey, Jerome (10 October 2010). "Navy Seals' nighttime raid thwarted by Afghan captors". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Archived from the original on 14 October 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
- ^ a b Chris Watt (10 October 2010). "A cruel and tragic end to a lifetime of devoted service". The Herald. Archived from the original on 13 October 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
- ^ Maria Abi (9 October 2010). "British Aid Worker Killed in Afghanistan". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
- ^ Andy Bloxham (28 September 2010). "Taliban group claims responsibility for British aid worker's kidnap". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 31 October 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
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- ^ a b "Kidnapped British aid worker killed by fragment wounds". Agence France-Presse. 22 October 2010. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
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- ^ a b Rayner, Gordon; Kirkup, James; Farmer, Ben (12 October 2010). "Linda Norgrove: grim reality of aid worker's death emerges from fog of war". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 14 October 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
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- ^ James Kirkup; Thomas Harding; Ben Farmer (12 October 2010). "Linda Norgrove death: Barack Obama offers condolences in call to David Cameron". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ a b Paul Reynolds (11 October 2010). "Linda Norgrove's father speaks to US commander". BBC News. Archived from the original on 18 October 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
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- ^ "Funeral held for aid worker Linda Norgrove – Scotsman.com News". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 26 October 2010. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
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External links
- DAI official website
- Confronting Conservation at Mount Elgon, Uganda by Linda Norgrove and David Hulme
- The Linda Norgrove Foundation official website A charitable foundation set up by the Norgrove family which will continue the humanitarian work that Linda was doing in Afghanistan