Eight Afghan civilians employed by a US military base have been shot dead.

Local officials blamed the Taliban although no-one has yet claimed responsibility. The Taliban have vowed to increase their attacks during Ramadan.

The workers were on their way to Camp Shank in the Logar region, south of Kabul. They were forced out their cars at gunpoint, and taken to a nearby village where they were shot in the head one by one. Their bodies were found blindfolded.

A local government spokesperson described them as “poor and ordinary civilian workers.”

Many local Afghans are hired to work on construction projects and as cleaners at US and NATO bases across the country.