Pakistan-Kidnap-Japanese
A Japanese aid worker, who was taken into custody by Taliban Tuesday morning in eastern Afghanistan, was killed when the US and Afghan forces launched attack on Taliban, a Taliban spokesman said.

Zabeehullah Mujahid, purported Taliban spokesman, said in text message to media from Afghanistan that the Japanese air worker was taken away by Taliban in Khewa district of Nangarhar province only for questioning.

"The Japanese national and his Afghan guide were killed when the American and local Afghan police from district Khewa attacked Taliban," Mujahid said.

There was no confirmation from the Afghan government and Japanese authorities about the Taliban statement.

"We only wanted to question the Japanese and his guide as for who they are working for and what they were doing there," the Taliban spokesman said.

"The Taliban fighters took them a kilometer away from the place from where had been picked when the US and local Afghan forces started firing on Taliban," Mujahid said.

Sources said that Kazuya Ito, 31, was working for a non-government organization 'Peshawar-Kai', which advises the people on farming.

The Taliban spokesman said that four Afghan policemen were also killed in the attack.

He did not say anything about Taliban casualties.