Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has confirmed that on Friday, January 17th, 2014, two Canadians were among the 21 persons killed by a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. The attack occurred outside a popular Lebanese restaurant, and the two Canadians were not Canadian government officials or members of the Canadian military.

“Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms the targeted, cowardly terrorist attack today on a restaurant in Kabul,” said Mr. Baird in a statement.  “On behalf of all Canadians, we extend our sincerest condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed and injured in this horrible and senseless act of terror.”

When asked to comment, Mr. Babu Nagalingam, President of Canadian Human Rights Voice – one of Canada’s premier human rights bodies- captures the universal abhorrence that all civilized peoples must feel for such wanton taking of human life.  “We commend the Minister of Foreign Affairs, John Baird and the Government of Canada for a fitting response to this reprehensible attack. It is too easy to minimize such violence because it occurs thousands of miles away from the relative tranquility of Canada’s cities, towns and villages.  The fact that two Canadians died is troubling to us all as Canadians and we extend our sincere condolences to their families and friends. We should never lose sight of the greater truth that such mindless acts of terror are to be strongly condemned whenever and wherever they occur in the world, whoever the innocent victims might be.”

“The guiding principle of CHRV is an abiding belief that violence is not the answer to human injustice. At the end of the day, it is only through mutual respect and by applying the principles of human reconciliation,- honesty, integrity and trust, that lasting conflict can be avoided.”

For more information, contact:
Suresh Tharma – tharma@chrv.ca or (416) 725-6390