Three Americans Killed in Terror Attack

     Last Friday a suicide bomber attacked a Lebanese restaurant in Kabul, Afghanistan.  21 people, including 13 foreigners, were lost according to the U.S. Embassy.  Three of the people who were lost were Americans.

     Alexis Kamerman was an educator working for the American University of Afghanistan.  Going by the nickname, "Lexie," she worked as a student development specialist and was the director of membership of the Collegiate Water Polo Association.  According to her friends and family, she was enthusiastic about helping the women of Afghanistan build brighter futures.  Kamerman was from Chicago and only 27 years old.

     Alexandros Petersen was also an educator working for the American University of Afghanistan, as part of the faculty of the University's political science department.  He was a Eurasia scholar and had been writing about China's influence in Central Asia.  Before serving at the American University of Afghanistan, Petersen served as an adviser at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.

     Basra Hassan lived near Detroit before serving in Afghanistan as a UNICEF nutrition specialist.  She also served in Pakistan, Yemen, and South Africa before serving in Afghanistan and joined UNICEF in 2005. 

     According to authorities, a suicide bomber attacked the popular Lebanese restaurant, La Taverna du Liban, which is located in the diplomatic enclave of Kabul.  The attack was followed by gunmen firing on diners, but police shot and killed them within an hour of the attack.  Britain, Canada, and Denmark have also lost nationals and citizens.  The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it was in retaliation for a NATO-led airstrike last week that killed civilians north of Kabul.  NATO has said that the strike was intended to target Taliban insurgents, but that two civilians were lost in the strike.
     The families and friends of the victims, faculty of the American University of Afghanistan, UNICEF, and many people in Afghanistan are mourning the loss of lives in last Friday's terrorist attack.        

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/19/22359686-three-americans-killed-in-afghan-restaurant-attack-were-working-toward-a-safer-world-for-all

- Jack Mikolajczyk