New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS): India is in touch with Afghanistan over the killing of Indian author Sushmita Banerjee by suspected Taliban militants in that country, Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid said Friday.

"We are already in touch and contact. We support the efforts being made in Afghanistan to consolidate democracy and inclusion," Khurshid told reporters outside parliament.

Terming the incident "very, very distressing," Khurhsid said that such incidents "come as a deep shock".

The minister said both countries have "one single point of view" on the matter, and that is "the determination and our commitment to fight this kind of inhuman treatment, particularly of women".

"We stand solemnly with Afghanistan in their determination to oppose this, to confront it and to eliminate this kind of view. We do believe that the loss is for Afghanistan and for India combined, it is not just our loss alone, it's their loss as well," he said.

Banerjee, 49, was dragged out of her house and shot dead by suspected Taliban gunmen in Sharan city of Afghanistan's Paktika province Wednesday night. Banerjee had recently moved back to Afghanistan to live with her Afghan husband.

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