Asia-Pacific

35 road construction workers killed in Afghanistan

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-19 20:17

KABUL - A total of 35 construction workers were killed and 24 injured Thursday when Taliban raided a road construction company in eastern Afghanistan's Paktia province, spokesman for provincial administration said.

"An unknown number of insurgents attack a road construction company in Waza Zadran district Thursday at around 02:00 am local time triggering a fierce fighting between the company's security guards and assailants. As a result 35 people were killed," Rohullah Samoon told Xinhua.

However, he said there might be some engineers, workers among the dead.  

He said the company named Galaxy Sky were a local firm which is in charge of construction of a road connecting Waza Zadran to neighboring Khost province.  

He said that eight Taliban were also killed in the two-hour fighting.

Taliban militants have in the past threaten locals to avoid working for construction projects and stop providing help for Afghan and foreign troops.

This is the second attack against road construction firms in eastern Afghanistan in a similar suicide car bombing attack in which Taliban claimed responsibility for the killing of 24 workers in neighboring Paktika province on March 27 this year.