Militants kill 17 Afghan workers

Militants have killed 17 road workers in South Afghanistan.

Sixteen other construction workers were injured when their crew was attacked by insurgents in Zabul province, Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary said.

Afghan and international security forces had counter-attacked, he added, killing seven militants and wounding a dozen more.

Road construction is a cornerstone of Afghan redevelopment, and workers have been targeted by militants in the past.

"Seventeen engineers and road workers were killed in an attack by enemies of Afghanistan's stability," said Mr Bashary.

"After the incident, the national army, police and international forces went to the area and chased the enemies away, killing seven enemies and wounding 12 others."

Nato soldier killed

In a telephone call to AFP, a Taleban spokesman claimed responsibility for the strike in the restive province, which borders Pakistan, and is a hotbed of insurgent activity.

The attack came after the Taleban vowed to step up their campaign against Afghanistan's Western-backed government and civilians working for it.

Also on Tuesday, a Nato soldier was killed on patrol when a bomb exploded southwest of the capital, Kabul.

Another Nato soldier was injured in the attack, in Ghazni province, but the nationalities of the soldiers were not disclosed.

Despite attempts by the 40-nation military alliance in Afghanistan to contain the growing insurgency, last year was the deadliest since the Taleban was ousted in 2001.

More than 8,000 people, including 1,500 civilians, were killed in Afghanistan in 2007, according to UN estimates.