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Two American cyclists who were among four killed by Islamic State terrorists in Tajikistan had quit their jobs to ride around the world, their families revealed today.

Lauren Geoghegan and Jay Austin, both 29, were a year into their dream adventure when they were run over by men in a car and then stabbed to death in the Central Asian country.

Mr Austin had earlier written in a blog that the journey had taught him that humans were “generous and wonderful and kind”.

They were among a group of seven cycling tourists who were targeted in Sunday’s attack. Dutch psychologist Rene Wokke, 56, and Markus Hummel, 62, from Switzerland, also died.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the killings in the picturesque Pamir Mountains, about 100 miles south of the Tajik capital Dushanbe.

The country has struggled with instability and poverty. The Americans started their journey last year, using all their savings to fund the trip, and had travelled through Europe, Africa and Central Asia before arriving in Tajikistan.

They chronicled their adventure on a blog called SimplyCycling.

Ms Geoghegan’s parents, Robert and Elvira, said in a statement: “The year-long bicycle adventure Lauren and her partner, Jay Austin, were enjoying was typical of her enthusiastic embrace of life’s opportunities, her openness to new people and places, and her quest for a better understanding of the world.” Ms Geoghegan had left her job in the admissions office at Georgetown University in Washington.

Her partner had worked in the US Department of Housing and Urban Development for seven years.

“He was a gentle soul who cared about the world and not leaving any footprint and leaving it a better place,” said his mother, Jeanne Santovasco.

They had both been cycle commuters and decided to travel the world until their savings ran out, according to their website.

Another of the victims, Mr Wokke, was with his partner, Kim Postma, 58, on a trip from Thailand to Iran. The couple, from Amsterdam, had decided to travel through Tajikstan to avoid Afghanistan because they thought it was too dangerous. They worked on a houseboat as foster parents, taking in troubled children. They had travelled to more than 130 countries on their bikes.

Markus Hummel, the fourth victim, and his partner, Marie-Claire Diemand, 59, both from Zurich, were cycling along the old Silk Road from China’s Xian to Kyrgyzstan. Both Ms Postma and Ms Diemand were treated for their injuries in hospital. Frenchman Guillaume Kazabat was riding slightly behind the main group and was not seriously hurt.

With its breathtaking scenery, Tajikistan and neighbouring Kyrgyzstan are attracting a growing number of adventure tourists, with 900,000 travelling to Tajikistan so far this year.