Five employees of the state-owned Central Bank were kidnapped and killed in the western province of Herat, allegedly "by Taliban," according to provincial police.

The incident happened on Thursday evening when the employees were on their way from Kuhsan district in Herat to the center of the province, police spokesman Abdul Ahad Walizada said.

He said the employees did not coordinate their movement with security agencies.

Tariq Aryan, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior Affairs, confirmed the incident and said "Taliban were responsible."

The Taliban has not commented on this report.