Four deminers kidnapped in western Afghanistan by Taliban militants have been beheaded by their abductors, the local TV channel Tolo reported on Sunday.
The four were part of a group of 28 deminers from the Demining Agency for Afghanistan who were abducted on Wednesday in the Bala Buluk district of the western Farah province.
The bodies of the beheaded deminers were found in the Bala Buluk province on Saturday evening. Police fear that the militants may behead the remaining captives.
AFP news agency reported that seven deminers had been beheaded by the Taliban.
Taliban issued a statement in May that it would target the staff of construction and other companies in Afghanistan collaborating with the 'occupants.'
Violence has surged in Afghanistan in recent months, with the Taliban group, which was toppled in a 2001 U.S.-led campaign, staging regular attacks on provincial government officials, police and civilians and planting roadside bombs to target Afghan, U.S. and NATO troops.
