Eight British tourists have been ambushed on their minibus by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, injuring at least seven of their 12-person party.
The tourists were travelling with an army escort in the Chesht-e Sharif district of the country's western Herat province when the attack took place yesterday.
As many as seven people were reportedly wounded, including an Afghan driver, despite being in a convoy protected by the Afghan army.
Dramatic photos from the scene showed their burnt out minibus, although authorities said all the people on board avoided serious injury.
Provincial spokesman Jilani Farhad said the insurgents opened fire on a minibus travelling from Bamyan province and also used an improvised explosive device.
Mr Farhad said Afghan security forces rescued the foreigners who were taken to a hospital and were to be brought to Kabul later on Thursday.
Afterwards, a spokesman for the Taliban branded the tourists “foreign invaders” and said they had been attacked after treating Afghans as “slaves”.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are providing assistance to British nationals involved in the attack in Herat and are coordinating closely with local authorities."
Many Western embassies warn against travelling to Afghanistan because of high levels of kidnapping and attack.
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