At least 11 die in "cold blooded" killing of Chinese construction workers

In the worst attack of its kind, at least 11 Chinese construction workers and an Afghan guard were ruthlessly gunned down in the northern province of Konduz early on Thursday. A group of some 20 armed men rushed into an isolated construction workers' compound near the village of Jalaw Gir, 35km outside the city of Koduz and opened fire while the workers were asleep. The victims, along with five wounded in the attack, were part of a team working on the Konduz to Baghlan road, a reconstruction project funded by the World Bank. Konduz was previously regarded as relatively peaceful, but this may now be reviewed as relief agencies and NGOs fear militants are expanding their operations from the south and east where such attacks are more common. The UN has suspended election registration in Konduz province until at least the weekend. According to United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Jean Arnault condemned the "cold blooded" attack and conveyed his condolences and sympathy to the Chinese government and the families, friends and colleagues of those killed. It was the deadliest attack on foreign civilians since the fall of the Taliban. The SRSG added that this tragedy followed another serious security incident last week in the northwestern province of Badghis, in which five Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) staff, three Europeans and two Afghans were killed. The Taliban told news agencies it had carried out the MSF attack, but reportedly denied responsibility for Thursday's execution style killings. The International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) - providing security in the capital Kabul - are assisting the Chinese authorities in dealing with the tragedy. The Chinese embassy in Kabul declined to comment on the killings, but Chinese aid workers approached by IRIN said the incident would definitely have an impact on Beijing's reconstruction programme in the increasingly lawless country. The Chinese, who have been active in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001, have not been targeted by terrorists in Afghanistan before. Attacks on Chinese expatriates are rare, but last month a car bomb exploded in the Pakistani city of Gwadar, killing three Chinese engineers who were working on a project to expand port facilities.