Taliban ambush tourists in Afghanistan

Taliban gunmen fired at the convoy escorting a group of 12 foreign tourists through Herat on Thursday, officials said.

"The tourists were from Britain, the United States, Germany and Scotland," Herat province spokesman Farhad Jilani told DW.

Six of the Westerners were injured in the incident, alongside their Afghan bus driver, he added. The authorities were still determining the nationality of the injured.

Afghan army said the group was traveling from the relatively calm Bamiyan province - home to a picturesque national park - to the city of Herat. It was not immediately clear why the tourists embarked on this 700 kilometer (435 mile) journey through several unsafe areas in the war-torn country.

Afghanistan-based journalist Bilal Sarwary tweeted about the incident:

None of the tourists were shot, according to an army spokesman. They were injured after jumping out of the vehicle when the shooting started. The army suppressed the attackers and managed to protect the group.

"All the foreign tourists have now been transferred to a safe area," Jilani said.

The authorities dispatched additional forces to the Chesht-e-Sharif district, where the attack took place, Chesht Governor Farhad Khadimi told DW.

Western embassies typically warn their citizens against traveling through Afghanistan, as visitors face risk of attack and kidnapping.

dj/kms (AFP, Reuters, dpa)