Kabul, June 2 (IANS): Seven aid workers and two Afghani security guards of the Czech NGO People in Need (PIN) were shot dead allegedly by Taliban militants in the northern Afghanistan province of Balkh, official sources told Efe news agency on Tuesday.

Early Tuesday morning, nine employees of the NGO, including a woman, were killed in a remote district of Balkh, where they were working on a project to help farmers without resources, Munir Farhad, a spokesperson for the local authorities, said.

Deputy chief of the provincial Afghan police, Razaq Qaderi, attributed the attack to the Taliban.

He also added that an investigation has been opened to shed light into the matter, although no arrests have been made.

PIN commenced work in Afghanistan in 2001 with the arrival of US troops and since then has been carrying out different projects in education, hygiene and agriculture in backward districts.

Foreign humanitarian organisations are common targets of the Taliban, who on April 24 launched its so-called “spring offensive”, announcing attacks against other "interests" including foreigners, judicial organisations and security forces both Afghan and international.

Last week, Afghan security forces released an aid worker of the German Society for International Development, kidnapped a month ago by the insurgent group in the northern province of Kunduz.