Ghulam Rasoul was born on 1 January 1972 in Kabul, Afghanistan. He attended the city’s Panjsad Family primary school (1978 to 1985) and started work in 1992 as a private taxi driver. In 1997 Ghulam spent a year as a driver with the ICRC before moving to a transport company (1998 to 2000).
Ghulam rejoined the ICRC as a driver in October 2002 in the Mazar-i-Sharif subdelegation. Over time, he became one the subdelegation’s most experienced drivers, known for taking excellent care of both his passengers and his vehicles. Safety and security were always uppermost in his mind. He was a hard worker who looked out for his colleagues and, as a result, was well-liked and respected by the rest of the transport team. Ghulam spoke Dari (mother tongue) as well as Pushto, English and Russian.
On 8 February 2017, Ghulam was part of an ICRC convoy delivering livestock feed when it was attacked by unidentified armed men near Sheberghan, Jawzjan Province, northern Afghanistan. Ghulam, who was 45 and married with three sons and two daughters, was killed along with five other colleagues: Ghulam Murtaza Omar, communications officer; Khalid Jan, economic security field officer; Ghulam Maqsoud, driver; Sayed Shah Agha, driver; and Najib Sahebzada, field officer. During the same incident, two other colleagues were abducted; they were held captive for seven months.
It is one of the worst tragedies in the history of the ICRC.
Speaking after the killings, Director of Operations Dominik Stillhart condemned what he described as a “horrific, senseless act” that had devastated so many lives and shaken the ICRC to its core.
“Alongside the profound sorrow that I feel, I am also filled with anger and outrage that someone would so brutally take the lives of our colleagues – colleagues who were dedicated to helping others. Nothing can justify their murder,” he said.
