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1st LD Writethru: 9 aid workers killed in N. Afghan attack

Xinhua, June 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

Some nine Afghan aid workers were killed following an armed attack in northern province of Balkh overnight Monday, an official said on Tuesday morning.

"Unknown militants attacked the camp of the aid workers in a village in Zari district overnight and fled the scene after gunning down nine aid workers," the official told Xinhua anonymously.

One woman was among the killed, the source said.

Abdul Basid Hainy, head of provincial Rural Development and Rehabilitation Department, confirmed the incident.

"The victims were in charge of implementing a project under the National Solidarity Program (NSP). The security forces have launched an investigation into the incident. Details will be released later in the day," Hainy told Xinhua.

The NSP scheme is an initiative by the government, aiming to rehabilitate and develop far-flung villages in the war-torn country.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

In the first four months of 2015, more than 970 civilians were killed and more than 1,960 others wounded in conflicts and Taliban- led insurgency which showed a 16 percent increase over the same period last year, according to official figures released by the UN mission in the country. Endi