UK aid worker died of head injuries in rescue bid

LONDON—A British aid worker killed after she was taken captive in Afghanistan died from head and chest injuries during a rescue attempt, police said Friday.

Linda Norgrove, 36, was abducted by insurgents along with three Afghan colleagues in the eastern Kunar province on Sept. 26 and died on Oct. 8. Authorities initially claimed she was blown up by her captors, but Gen. David Petraeus, NATO’s top commander in Afghanistan, said later that a grenade thrown by a member of the U.S. special forces rescue team detonated during an attempt to rescue her.

Detective Chief Inspector Colin Smith told an inquest in Salisbury, England, that a post-mortem examination found that Norgrove died from “penetrating fragment injuries to the head and chest.”

Six kidnappers also died in the rescue attempt. The three Afghans who were kidnapped with her were released prior to the rescue mission.

Norgrove was working on a U.S.-funded aid project for Development Alternatives Inc. at the time of her death.

A full inquest hearing is likely to be held in March 2011 following a U.S.-led inquiry into the incident.

Norgrove’s body was flown back to England and her funeral will be held Tuesday on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

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