Men of Influence magazine


Tributes have been paid by the family and fiance of a British doctor who was shot dead along with nine colleagues on an aid mission in Afghanistan.

Dr Karen Woo, 36, from London was called a “true hero” by her family and “loving and caring” by her fiance.

Afghan police say those who died were victims of an armed robbery. One of the aid convoy’s drivers has been detained.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary William Hague said the killings were “a deplorable and cowardly act”.

Dr Woo, was working with a Christian charity, providing healthcare in remote villages in the north-east of Afghanistan.

In a statement, the dead surgeon’s family denied Taliban claims she was preaching Christianity to Muslims and spying. The Taliban had earlier said it was behind the attack.

Dr Woo’s family said: “Her motivation was purely humanitarian. She was a humanist and had no religious or political agenda.

“Her commitment was to make whatever difference she could. She was a true hero, whilst scared, she never let that prevent her from doing things she had to do.

“She would not want this tragedy to overshadow the ongoing plight of those still in the greatest of need,” the statement said.

The surgeon was due to marry her fiance, Mark “Paddy” Smith, in London on 20 August.

In an emotional interview from Kabul where he works for a security firm, Mr Smith described the dead woman as an “extraordinary person”.

Dr Woo had trained first as a dancer, model and even been a wing walker on stunt planes before retraining as a doctor and surgeon in her 20s.



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