KABUL, Feb 26: Gunmen ambushed Afghan aid workers, killing five and wounding three, on a road northeast of Kabul on the eve of a visit by the US defence secretary, the worst such attack since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001.

Western aid workers said the Afghans killed in the attack on Wednesday belonged to a local NGO called the Serai Development Foundation, which is involved in rebuilding roads and providing clean water.

Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali told a news briefing that the attackers were "criminals and terrorists". -Reuters