A roadside bomb killed three Afghan employees of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) today in Afghanistan's northern Jowzjan province, the provincial governor said.
Hashim Zari blamed the Taliban for the blast, part of a rise in militant attacks in recent months in several parts of northern Afghanistan, regarded as relatively secure until recently compared to the south and east where the Islamists are most active.
"With regret, we have to say that this blast killed three Afghan workers from UNCHR today," Mr Zari told a Reuters reporter by telephone in northern Afghanistan.
The blast hit a UNHCR vehicle carrying the agency's officials as they were driving on a road in the province, Mr Zari said. Authorities had arrested three suspected men in relation to the incident, he added.
The Taliban, who lead the insurgency against the government and foreign troops, could not be reached immediately for comment.
Reuters