KABUL, Feb 14: Four Afghan deminers working for a non-governmental demining agency were shot dead on Saturday by suspected Taliban militants in western Afghanistan, an official said. The governor of Farah province which borders Iran, Haji Abdul Hai Namati, said three people were killed at the scene and a fourth died later from his wounds.

The victims, members of the Organisation for Mine Clearance and Awareness in Afghanistan (OMAR), were on their way from Farah to Herat province when suspected Taliban militants attacked their vehicles in Bala Buluk district, Namati said.

He said the militants were driving a station wagon and chased the two OMAR vehicles before spraying them with bullets.-AFP