HERAT, Afghanistan :Unknown gunmen killed a German tourist and his Afghan companion in central Afghanistan on Saturday and wounded two other Afghans when they opened fire on the van the tourist was traveling in, a senior police officer said.
The men were on a road in poor, remote Ghor province, driving toward Bamiyan province which is more often visited, deputy provincial police chief Abdul Rashid Bashir told Reuters.
Bashir said the dead man was a tourist, and documents found in his possession showed that he was German. The German embassy in Kabul could not immediately be reached for comment.
Two German nationals were killed last month while hiking in mountains near the capital Kabul. Their killers have not been found.
Ghor is still relatively peaceful, even though it shares a border with Helmand province, an insurgent stronghold. But it is a risky place for foreigners to visit as tourists.
Abdul Hai Khatibi, a spokesman for the provincial governor, declined direct comment on the killing, but said the Taliban had limited influence in Ghor and appeared to suggest that the shooting was likely to be the work of bandits, not insurgents.
"Rivalry between armed groups has damaged the security situation in Ghor and encourages insurgents to claim credit for any attack," he said.
Violence has risen to its worst levels in Afghanistan since the 2001 overthrow of the Taliban government, with record numbers of civilian deaths.
The insurgency is also spreading fast to once relatively peaceful northern and western parts of the country, in addition to the south and east.
Germany has around 5,200 soldiers deployed as part of NATO's mission in Afghanistan, most of them in the north.
(Reporting by Sharafuddin Sharafyar; Editing by Tim Pearce)
BAGHDAD: Two bombings near a Sunni mosque north of Baghdad and at one at funeral in south killed at least 46 people and...
LONDON: British High Commissioner (HC), Adam Thomson has said that UK police have received countless complaints against...
BANGALORE: Adam Gilchrist’s unbeaten 85 off 54 balls, helped by Azhar Mahmood's 61 off 41, stunned Royal Challengers Ba...
KARACHI: More than 154,000 staff will perform election duty at 14,980 polling stations across Sindh province, media repo...
HANGU: A curfew was imposed in Hangu district after an explosion targeting a Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) candidate...
Bangladesh take lead to 272 runs by stumps on Day 3HARARE: Bangladesh bowled Zimbabwe out for 282 and built a 272-run le...
MONTE CARLO, Monaco, April 18, 2013 (AFP) - Roger Federer will return to second in the ATP standings next week after And...
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif has said that all the political parties should be provid...
BOSTON, Massachusetts: Boston police said Monday that what was initially thought to have been a third explosion in the c...
ISLAMABAD: The Interior Ministry has decided to tighten security of Election Commission offices and political leaders. A...
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has changed the tribunal for hearing the appeals against Pakistan M...
KARACHI: Sindh Governor Dr. Ishratul Ebad Khan has announced Rs2 million cash reward for the CID personnel over successf...
HUB: Two persons’ bodies were found at Kharan on Saturday morning here, media reported. Awaran S.P. Muhammad Rafiq Lasi ...
Embassy takes serious notice of Pakistanis complaints Islamabad: The Head of Mission of Embassy of Libya in Islamabad h...
JAIPUR: Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and elected to field against Rajasthan Royals in their IPL clash at the Sawai...
HONG KONG: From foie gras noodles and liquid olives to air baguettes and mimetic peanuts, much of what elBulli chef Ferr...
GUJRANWALA: At least two persons were killed and four others sustained injuries as unknown armed people opened fire on p...
TOKYO: The dollar firmed against the yen and euro in Asia Wednesday, boosted by solid US economic data and a bleak outlo...
SEOUL In the middle of an escalating military crisis on the Korean peninsula, North Korea's appointment this week of an ...
ISLAMABAD: Weather turned pleasant in Islamabad and Rawalpindi as twin cities received rain here on Monday. According to...
Afghan Official Challenges U.S. Tax Audit
WASHINGTON: Afghanistan's top finance official is disputing an audit b...
Embassy Row: After Afghanistan for NATO
“In together, out together,” Hungarian Defense Minister Csaba Hende e...
Afghan Star Khaled Hosseini's New Book
As a boy growing up in Afghanistan, Khaled Hosseini heard lots of fab...
Airing Of Dirty Laundry Raises Afghan Hopes That Corruption Will Be Tackled
The very public trading of graft accusations in Afghanistan's parliame...
Violence against women act modification sparks furor in Afghanistan
A number of civil society organizations including independent human r...
Afghan treasures display in Melbourne tells a different Afghanistan story
MELBOURNE: Several hundred priceless antiques from ancient Afghanistan...
Afghan soldiers' incompetence raises concerns about U.S. withdrawal plans
Mansurabad, Afghanistan A suicide bomber drove his car into a U.S....
Afghanistan wants lethal weapons from India; Karzai visit from Monday
New Delhi: Ahead of its President Hamid Karzai’s visit next week, Afg...
