German tourist shot dead by armed motorcyclists while travelling in central Afghanistan

A German tourist was shot dead by armed motorcyclists while travelling in central Afghanistan Saturday, local officials said. The man was killed alongside an Afghan companion in the usually stable central Afghan province of Ghor.

The incident came in the same month that two German nationals were found dead after apparently going climbing in mountains north of the Afghan capital Kabul.

The deputy police chief of Ghor, Abdul Rashid, told AFP that the tourist made his fatal journey to a forested area despite being told that safety there could not be guaranteed. "We said we cannot guarantee their security but later we learned they had gone to to Dawlatyar district in an SUV vehicle and that armed men had opened fire on their vehicle," he said. "The German tourist and one local villager have been killed and two other Afghans who were apparently the guides have been injured." He added that the body of the German national was being brought to the capital Kabul.

Ghor provincial spokesman Abdul Hai Khatibi also confirmed the incident but did not know the nationality of the victim. "One foreigner has been killed and two Afghan companions were injured when they were attacked by armed men in Dawlatyar district today at around 3:00pm (1030 GMT)," he said. "We have reports that their vehicle was attacked by armed men. The body of the foreigner has been brought to the the provincial capital Chaghcharan. We are trying to identify it."