The 73-year-old doctor and health worker died in an ambush two days ago in the eastern province of Nangarhar. Armed men opened fire on his car, killing five others. The Taliban deny any responsibility in the attack.
Kabul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The day after the brutal ambush in which a beloved doctor and Japanese aid worker lost his life, dozens of activists and Afghan citizens took part in a candlelight vigil in his memory in the capital Kabul ( photo).
Gathering at the well-guarded district of Kazul Wazir Akbar Khan, in a square near the Japanese embassy, the participants displayed several banners with the image of Tetsu Nakamura. The protesters expressed a harsh condemnation of the attack, in which five other fellow citizens died, calling the 73-year-old doctor a hero. Some carried Japanese flags, while others carried national banners.
Present at the vigil last night, activist Farida Nikzad said: "When we heard the news [of Nakamura's death], my whole family burst into tears. Those responsible are enemies of Afghanistan and oppose the development of this country ". Nakamura died two days ago in the eastern province of Nangarhar, due to his injuries shortly after gunmen opened fire on his car.
Afghan police are investigating to name the perpetrators of the attack. The Taliban, who along with related groups of the Islamic State operate throughout the province, deny any involvement in the ambush. During the vigil, the organizers asked the government to name a university or a prominent place in the province of Nangarhar after Nakamura, so that "everyone can remember him forever". "This gathering - says Nikzad - shows our respect, love for him and the shame of not having been able to save him".
Nakamura had been working in Nangarhar province for over a decade and was carrying out water projects in rural areas. These had earned him the nickname "Uncle Murad" for his services to the population. Last April, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani granted him honorary citizenship. Nangarhar Nakamura was the head of the Japanese charity, Peace Medical Service, since 2008. He arrived in Afghanistan after a Japanese colleague, Kazuya Ito, was kidnapped and killed. Nakamura is credited with having changed a vast tract in the Nangarhar desert, known as Gamber, into lush forests and wheat fields.