Afghan gunmen kill one, injure three roadworkers

Afghan gunmen today killed an Afghan worker and wounded three others building a road to a US-led coalition base in the south of the country.

The shooting happened in southern Zabul province when the gunmen ambushed a car taking the men to work on a road linking the town of Qalat with a new US air base just outside town, said Noor Mohammed Paktin, provincial police chief.

Violence has escalated sharply in Afghanistan this year as Taliban-led rebels have stepped up attacks, particularly in their former southern heartland, drawing a tough response from Afghan and foreign forces. More than 10,000 US-led troops have fanned out across southern Afghanistan in an attempt to break the Taliban’s hold on the region, as Nato prepares to take over command of security operations there.

The coalition says more than 600 suspected Taliban militants have been killed since Operation Mountain Thrust started on June 10.

At least 19 coalition soldiers have also been killed in the same period, according to an Associated Press count based on coalition information.