International Red Cross barred from Afghanistan

January 9, 1981

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it had been barred from Afghanistan, which meant both Afghan and Soviet troops were denied protection under international conventions. The all-Swiss body, responsible for overseeing the application of the Geneva war conventions, said it had not been able to carry out humanitarian work in Afghanistan since June, when authorities in Kabul refused to extend the delega tes' visas.