On 5 August 2010, ten members of International Assistance Mission (IAM) Nuristan Eye Camp team were killed in Kuran wa Munjan District of Badakhshan Province in Afghanistan.

When news of the killings broke, both Hizb-e Islami and the Taliban initially claimed responsibility for the attack,[2] accusing the doctors of proselytism and spying.

[14] After coming under increasing pressure by NATO forces in southern Afghanistan the Taliban have become active in areas like Badakhshan Province which were previously calm.

The victims of the massacre had indeed been sponsored by a Christian charity, but that organization worked in Afghanistan since 1966, under a monarchy, a communist regime, warlords, and under the Taliban; its aid workers were said to understand the Afghan customs and sensibilities and have scrupulously obeyed prohibitions against proselytizing.

[18] The publicity on the massacre and its aftermath coincided with the publication of the 2010 Mid-Year Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA),[19][20][21] in which worries were expressed about the rising number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan and that was directly followed by an advice of human rights organisation Amnesty International that the Taliban should be prosecuted for war crimes.

[22] According to the UNAMA report, the tactics of the Taliban and other Anti-Government Elements (AGEs) were behind a 31 per cent increase in conflict-related civilian casualties in the first six months of 2010 compared with the same period in 2009.

[14] There was a total of 10 victims:[9][26] Mahram Ali, aged 51 years,[27] of the Hazara ethnic minority, from Wardak, Afghanistan, was a civilian contractor that had been a worker at the National Organisation for Ophthalmic Rehabilitation's (NOOR's) maintenance workshop since 2007;[28] he served as a driver for the expedition, and as "watcher", to guard team vehicles.

[28][29] In this service to IAM, Ali drove and "stayed behind guarding the vehicles in Nawa when the rest of the team walked over the pass into Nuristan.

[30][31] Daniela Beyer, aged 35 years,[27] from Chemnitz-Wittgensdorf, Germany, was a linguist and translator in German, English and Russian who also spoke Dari and was learning Pashto.

[32][33] Brian Carderelli, aged 25 years and from Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States,[27] was a civilian contractor, and a professional freelance videographer who had worked with various Afghan development and humanitarian organizations in Afghanistan.

[35][36] He was a lifelong member of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Harrisonburg,[35] and a 2009 graduate of James Madison University and was approaching the one year anniversary of his service in Afghanistan.

[35][36] According to his family, "Brian quickly fell in love with the Afghan people and culture and hoped to stay within the country for another year",[35] and was compiling a photographic and video album entitled "The Beautiful – It's Not All War.

[27][37] One of native twin brothers and dentists from Park Rapids, Minnesota,[38] Grams left their "thriving" private general dentistry practice in Durango in 2007 to join GDR full-time,[27][37][39][40] going first to Nepal ("trekk[ing]... halfway up... Everest, carrying dental equipment by yak"[27]),[37] and then several times to Afghanistan, initially as a volunteer, and later as team leader.

[27] The principal breadwinner for his wife, three young children, and extended family,[27][41] Jawed had been excited about the $20 per day in overtime that he was earning on the medical outreach trip.

[43] Lapp was an alumnus of Eastern Mennonite and Johns Hopkins Universities, and had assisted the MCC in the weeks following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, with regular prior nursing work Lancaster, Supai, Arizona, and New York City.

Said Yasin had left the team several days earlier and returned to Kabul by another route,[26] whereas Safiullah was spared after reciting verses from the Koran.

We regret these killings and strongly assert that this is not the work of the Taliban who will never do harm to genuine aid workers… as soon as we manage to apprehend those responsible for this act, we shall subject them to whatever punishment our laws prescribe.

[67] British foreign secretary William Hague condemned the attack and stated "This is a deplorable and cowardly act which is against the interests of the people of Afghanistan who depended on the services she [Karen Woo] was bravely helping to provide.

(see above)[15] Karl Eikenberry, the current United States Ambassador to Afghanistan, speaking to Afghan people said, "Their murder demonstrates the absolute disregard that terrorist-inspired Taliban and other insurgents have for your health, have for your security and have for your opportunity, They don't care about your future.