8 militants, road worker killed in Afghan unrest

Three other road builders were wounded when their vehicle came under fire in southern Zabul province as they were driving to work, the provincial police chief told AFP.

The officer, Nur Mohammad Paktine, blamed the attack on "enemies of Afghanistan" -- a term used by the government to refer to remnants of the Taliban regime toppled from power in 2001 and now waging a deadly insurgency.

The men had been helping to build a road between a highway and an airport under construction near the provincial capital Qalat.