10 mine-clearing Afghan workers killed

Masked gunmen killed 10 people working for the HALO Trust mine-clearing organisation in northern Afghanistan, the interior ministry said yesterday, blaming the Taliban for the latest attack to rock the violence-wracked country. The raid happened on Tuesday evening as dozens of deminers were relaxing at a compound in Baghlan province, around 260 kilometres north of the capital, after a day spent looking for ordnance in the area. A Taliban spokesman denied responsibility.