KABUL: Gunmen believed to be Taliban insurgents have shot dead a US civilian and two of his Afghan colleagues in an area near Kabul which has seen a surge in militant violence in recent months, officials said.
The American was driving along the Ghorband valley in Parwan province, north of Kabul, when he was attacked and killed, Afghan officials and the US embassy said.
"We can confirm that a US citizen was killed in Parwan Province on Monday," an embassy official told. The spokesman said the victim was a civilian but refused to give further details.
A senior official in Parwan province told AFP the man was an electrical engineer who was travelling to a survey project for the rural development ministry.
"He along with two Afghans were driving in a mini-van. Along the road they were chased by two or three insurgents for about half an hour. When they got to a certain area... they were shot at from the (chasing) car," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Roshan Khalid, a spokeswoman for the provincial administration confirmed the incident but did not give any details.