Afghanistan: Japanese doctor gunned down in attack in Nangarhar

Seven people, including a Japanese doctor who headed an NGO, were killed after unidentified gunmen attacked their vehicle in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar on Wednesday, the provincial government said.

Tetsu Nakamura, a Japanese doctor who headed the NGO Peace Medical Service in Nangarhar, succumbed to his wounds at Jalalabad airport while awaiting an airlift to Bagram airbase, Nangarhar governor spokesperson Attaullah Khogyani said, as cited by Tolo News. The other casualties include Nakamuram's driver and five bodyguards.

The gunmen fled the scene after the incident and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Taliban's spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid tweeted that the group has "no connection" with the attack.

Police have initiated an investigation into the incident.

Nakamura had worked in the Nangarhar province for more than a decade and was recently awarded honorary Afghan citizenship by President Ghani.