In yet another attack targeted at Indians in Afghanistan, an Indo-Tibetan Border Police jawan was killed on Thursday and four others injured when a bomber blew himself up in the southern part of the country.
Dev Kumar was killed on the spot in the attack in Nimroz province. Four other ITBP personnel and an Afghan policeman were injured in the attack that took place at around 4.30 pm (5.30 pm IST), Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Zenarai Bashari said.
He said the attack took place during the movement of a convoy of Border Roads Organisation personnel, who are engaged in construction of the Zaranj-Delaram highway.
Giving details, he said the attacker tried to approach the BRO convoy at a police post in Khasrhud district. "Before he could reach the real target, he was identified and the police challenged him but he blew himself up," Bashari said.
The injured have been hospitalised.
This is the third attack on Indians in Nimroz in six months while constructing the crucial 218-km highway.
On January 2, a Taliban suicide bomber targeted a BRO convoy in the same Nimroz province, killing two ITBP personnel and injuring four others guarding them.
Suspected Taliban carried out another attack on Indian construction workers on April 12, killing two BRO personnel and injuring five.
Nearly 400 BRO personnel are engaged in construction of the highway between Zaranj and Delaram, as part of India's assistance programme for reconstruction of the war-torn country. The injured ITBP personnel were identified as Ramesh Kumar, Onkar Nath, Sandeep Nath and Pradeep Singh.
India condemned the attack and asserted that such incidents would not deter it from continuing its humanitarian activities in Afghanistan.
"We strongly condemn this latest act of terrorism on a project being executed for the development of Afghanistan. Such acts will not deter us from fulfilling our humanitarian commitments," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said in a statement.
He conveyed the government's deepest condolences to the family of Dev Kumar and sympathies to the families of those injured in the attack.