Three female aid workers killed in Afghanistan

Three female international aid workers have been shot dead along with their Afghan driver near Kabul.

The women worked for the International Rescue Committee (IRC). It said one was Canadian, another was British-Canadian and the third was Trinidadian-American.

A second Afghan driver was hurt when unidentified gunmen fired on the group as they drove through Logar province.

Aid agencies are frequently targeted in the Afghan conflict, with convoys attacked and staff abducted or killed.

International aid groups have been unable to operate in many southern provinces for some time because of insecurity. More recently, violence has been spreading to other areas.

Logar - which lies just to the south of the capital - had been relatively stable but has become increasingly violent in recent months.

The BBC's Alastair Leithead in Kabul says the United Nations now classifies the province as high risk and that violence is encroaching on the capital.

Bodies

The three women and their two Afghan colleagues were travelling from Gardez in the south-east to Kabul when they were attacked.

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