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Afghanistan's Taliban attack foreign tourist convoy | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Militants have attacked a convoy of foreign tourists in west Afghanistan, injuring six and their Afghan driver. | |
The group of a dozen travellers was being escorted by Afghan army personnel to Herat city when it was ambushed, Afghan officials told the BBC. | |
The tourists comprised eight Britons, three US citizens and one German. Some reportedly had light injuries and were being treated in hospital. | |
A spokesman for the Taliban said it had carried out the attack. | |
Afghanistan's main roads are notoriously dangerous, with militant attacks and kidnappings frequent, many of them carried out by the Taliban. | |
Jailani Farhad, a spokesman for Herat's governor, said the attackers had used small arms fire and an improvised explosives device. | |
He said it was not yet clear who had been injured, although the German foreign ministry said its citizen was unharmed. | |
The tourists are being held at an Italian military hospital in Herat city and are set to be evacuated to Kabul. | |
Afghan interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told Afghanistan's Tolo news channel the tourists had been on their way from Bamiyan to Herat, via Ghor. | |
The ambush took place in the Chesht-e-Sharif district. Security reinforcements have been sent to the area. | |
Despite the ongoing insurgency, Afghanistan does see a small number of tourists every year, organised by several foreign adventure tourism companies. | |
Bamiyan province is especially popular with adventure tourists, attracted by its ancient culture and natural beauty. | |
Many Western nations advise against all but essential travel to the country. |