This Can't Be Good

Iraqi Red Crescent Refugee Camp

Although the Red Crescent's actions make perfect sense, this is no time for them to go AWOL. People are suffering, losing friends and family and undoubtedly hunting for family members gone missing. That's Red Crescent's mandate and they will leave a huge void.

I'm hopeful only administrative work will stop and not the day-to-day operation of refugee camps like the one shown above.

The Iraqi Red Crescent today closed all of its Baghdad branches, a day after gunmen staged a brazen mass kidnapping.

About 30 employees and visitors were kidnapped yesterday, and 16 of those were released unharmed the same day, a Red Crescent spokesman said today.

“We gave orders to our Baghdad staff to stop working until further notice. We renew our calls for the release of the kidnapped persons,” said Mazin Abdellah, the Iraqi Red Crescent’s secretary-general.

He added that the group’s offices in other Iraqi provinces were fully operational.

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