Foreign tourists attacked in western Afghanistan

[brooklynite]

Source: The Guardian

A group of western tourists on a sightseeing adventure tour of Afghanistan have been ambushed by Taliban gunmen, Afghan officials said on Thursday, with at least six people wounded.

The foreigners were travelling in the Chesht-e-Sharif district in the western province of Herat with an Afghan army escort when militants opened fire on the convoy. The group were heading for Herat city, the country’s ancient cultural centre, close to the Iranian border.

...snip...

According to sources in Kabul, the party had gone to Afghanistan with Hinterland Travel, a small British tour operator based in Brighouse, West Yorkshire, run by veteran tour guide Geoff Hann.

The company specialises in adventure tours to war-torn countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. It has defended travelling to Afghanistan despite UK Foreign Office advice to avoid it. Promotional material describes the country as at the “cutting edge of adventure tourism, which in itself can offer benefits and progress”.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/04/foreign-tourists-attacked-in-western-afghanistan-says-officials

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Always nice to get away from the daily grind...

[uawchild]

1. Oh! So they knew what they were getting into!

"The company specialises in adventure tours to war-torn countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. It has defended travelling to Afghanistan despite UK Foreign Office advice to avoid it. Promotional material describes the country as at the “cutting edge of adventure tourism, which in itself can offer benefits and progress”."

And here I thought they were clueless idiots when in reality they are just idiots.

Adventure tourism, indeed. War-Porn addicts is more like it.

[keithbvadu2]

2. Their tour insurance must have some great exclusions.

[awoke_in_2003]

3. Who in their right minds...

would willingly visit that shit hole?

[Eugene]

4. Put a fig leaf of good intentions on it and some people will believe they are actually helping. nt

[awoke_in_2003]

5. Okay, I can understand humanitarian workers

but going their for sightseeing? The Taliban aren't the funnest people to be around, and the warlords aren't much better.

[Indpndnt]

6. Why would anyone go there on vacation?

Adrenaline? A deep need for attention from those back home?

They have more money than sense.

[TipTok]

7. Play stupid games... win stupid prizes...

Smart people roll around Afghanistan with armed ISR, MEDEVAC and gunships...

Smarter people never come to this country...

[GOLGO 13]

8. Yes, "tourists" of course. How unfortunate for their "vacation" plans.

[EL34x4]

9. I'd like to think they got their money's worth

If you sign up for an adventure tour of western Afghanistan, getting attacked by Taliban gunmen ought to be part of the package. If not, I'd feel cheated!

[Solly Mack]

10. If you want to take a "tour" of a country at war, put on a uniform.

[maxsolomon]

11. I kind of get the impulse to go

Absent the never-ending war, Afghanistan looks to be a beautiful landscape with a fascinating cultural heritage.

I would have liked to go in the 70s, before American began funding the Mujahadeen. Except I was 10.

Now, its evidence you have a death wish. They're lucky they didn't get their wishes granted.

[TipTok]

13. This place has made me way too jaded...

... to ever enjoy it if everything turned sunshine and roses tomorrow.

[Ace Rothstein]

15. You mean before the Soviet Union invaded, right?

[maxsolomon]

16. probably.

definitely before the mujahedeen started their insurgency.

what does it matter? none of us are every going there as tourists in our lifetimes.

[Ace Rothstein]

12. Come to Afghanistan, where it is the 4th of July every day.

[Arazi]

14. An oxymoron if I ever saw one: tourists in Afghanistan