Taliban militants have attacked a group of 12 American and European tourists escorted by an Afghan army convoy in western Herat province, leaving at least seven people injured as the insurgents step up nationwide attacks.
The tourists — eight British, three Americans and one German national — were ambushed by Taliban gunmen in the restive district of Chesht-e-Sharif, while en route from the neighbouring provinces of Bamiyan and Ghor.
It is unclear why they were travelling overland at a time when Western embassies typically warn their citizens against all travel in Afghanistan, citing threats of kidnapping and attacks.
“The foreign tourists … were travelling with an Afghan army convoy when they were ambushed by the Taliban in Chesht-e-Sharif,” said Jilani Farhad, the spokesman for Herat’s governor.
He said the insurgents had been repelled and the foreigners were being escorted to Herat city, adding that at least six foreigners and their Afghan driver were injured.
The attack comes as Taliban militants intensify their annual summer offensive after a brief lull during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which ended in early July.
Highways in Afghanistan passing through insurgency-prone areas have become exceedingly dangerous, with the Taliban and other armed groups frequently kidnapping or killing travellers.
But that has not stopped some tourists, including foreigners, from travelling to Afghanistan, endowed with stunning landscapes and archaeological sites, many of them in volatile areas prone to the Taliban insurgency.