Foreign tourists wounded in Afghan attack

A party of 12 foreign tourists has been attacked in western Afghanistan, with at least six and their driver wounded.

Afghan army

Afghan National Army soldiers patrol a road in Herat city, west of capital Kabul. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)

At least six foreign tourists and their driver have been wounded in Afghanistan in an attack by gunmen on their convoy as it passed through western Herat province, government officials said.

The group of at least a dozen travellers included eight British citizens, three Americans, and one German, but the nationalities of the casualties was not clear, said Jilani Farhad, a spokesman for Herat's governor.

He said security forces had been dispatched to the scene.

The convoy, reportedly escorted by security forces, was on its way from scenic Bamiyan province in central Afghanistan to the city of Herat in the west when it was attacked, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said.

Both officials described the foreigners as "tourists".

Afghanistan remains locked in a violent insurgency and Western embassies typically warn their citizens against all travel in the country, citing threats of attack and kidnapping.

Bamiyan, home to Afghanistan's first national park, is one of the country's more peaceful areas and attracts some of the few tourists who do visit.


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Source: AAP



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