The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Kabul

An international aid group which has worked in Afghanistan for 25 years said it was suspending relief work after three of its female aid workers and their Afghan driver were shot dead.

The killings, claimed by the insurgent Taliban, were the deadliest here in years involving international aid staff, and came amid warnings about deteriorating security.

The women-a British-Canadian, a Canadian and a Trinidadian-American-were members of the International Rescue Committee, which works with refugees in Afghanistan.

One Afghan driver was killed and another critically wounded in Wednesday's ambush by gunmen who shot repeatedly at their vehicle near the capital Kabul, police and their organisation said.

The IRC, headquartered in New York, said in a statement it was "stunned and profoundly saddened by this tragic loss."

"These extraordinary individuals were deeply committed to aiding the people of Afghanistan, especially the children who have seen so much strife."