Indian driver's body found in Afghanistan

Villagers found the body of Maniappan Raman Kutty, which had almost been decapitated, in Nimroz province's Dilaram district, said local police chief Bahdur Khan.

"The body does not look Afghan. It looks Indian," he said. "We think it is the hostage's body."

Purported Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammed Yousaf told The Associated Press in a satellite phone call the location of the body, which matched the information from the police chief.

Yousaf on Tuesday claimed that the rebels had shot Kutty because the Indian state-owned company he worked for had not agreed to the kidnappers' demands to pull out of Afghanistan.

Yousaf often calls news organisations to claim responsibility for attacks, often with information that proves exaggerated or untrue.

His exact tie to the Taliban leadership is not clear.

Kutty was kidnapped along with three Afghans in Nimroz province on Saturday. One of the Afghans has since been released, while the fate of the two other Afghans was unknown.

The abduction was the latest in a string of kidnappings in southern Afghanistan. A British engineer working on a road project and two Japanese tourists were kidnapped in August and killed.

The violence comes amid the deadliest year of rebel fighting since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001. About 1,500 people have been killed and many southern and eastern areas are considered too dangerous for foreigners to enter without security.

India Wednesday expressed deep shock at the killing of an Indian construction worker by suspected Taliban rebels in Afghanistan and called for swift justice.

"We strongly condemn this inhuman and barbaric act against an innocent person. The Taliban and its backers bear the responsibility for the consequences of this outrageous act," the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement.

"We earnestly hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice swiftly," it said.

New Delhi said the killing would not affect its assistance of the Afghanistan government in its reconstruction efforts.