Clinton slams USAID officer’s killing in Kunar

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday condemned the suicide attack that killed one of USAID’s top Foreign Service officers in Afghanistan.

Ragaei Abdelfattah was killed along with three ISAF service members and an Afghan civilian during the double suicide attack in eastern Kunar province on Wednesday.

“Ragaei’s work over the last year was critical to our efforts to support Afghanistan’s political, economic and security transitions and was an example of the highest standards of service,” Clinton said.

Partnering with local officials over the last 15 months, he worked in eastern Afghanistan to help establish new schools and health clinics, and deliver electricity to the citizens of Nangarhar and Kunar provinces.

“With the work of people such as Ragaei, the civilian surge we launched in Afghanistan in 2009 has made a tremendous impact, strengthening the capacity of the Afghan government and laying a foundation for long-term sustainable development.

“Though we are shocked and saddened by this loss and will miss Ragaei, our efforts will continue,” Clinton said in a statement.

USAID Administrator Raj Shah said: “Ragaei recently began a voluntary second tour in Afghanistan in order to continue his critical support of Afghanistan’s stability and long-term development.

“His hard work has helped to bring key services and improvements to the people of Afghanistan such as schools, health clinics, and electricity to the citizens of Nangarhar and Kunar provinces,” he said.

Prior to joining USAID, Ragaei had more than 15 years of professional development experience both in the United States and overseas. He was also working to complete a PhD in Planning, Governance and Globalization at Virginia Tech University.