Italian

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

Orfeo Bartolini, 51, was murdered in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

in April 2003. Bartolini left his home in Rimini,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

on March 17, 2003, and set out on by motorcycle for

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, where he planned to visit the tomb of

Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was bo ...

. On April 10, his motorcycle broke down in the Shahjoi district of Zabul province,

. He hired a car to take him to

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

. On the way, the car was stopped by two men on a motorbike, who then shot Bartolini. Though the area was a known stronghold of the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

, looking to regroup following their removal as leaders of the Afghan government by American and allied forces, Italian ambassador Dominico Georgi originally declared that robbery may be the cause of Bartolini's murder. However, as the Italian's Afghan driver was unhurt in the attack and no robbery was reported, Taliban dissidents remained the chief suspects. The week after the killing, eight Taliban fighters were captured by Afghan soldiers investigating Bartolini's murder in the Sur Ghar area of the country.

References

1952 births 2003 deaths Deaths by firearm in Afghanistan Italian people murdered abroad People from Rimini People murdered in Afghanistan Afghanistan–Italy relations {{Italy-bio-stub