Militants attacked a remote guesthouse and killed nine Afghans working for a Czech charity on Tuesday, The ABC News reported.

The attack took place in the Zari district of northern Balkh province, when gunmen burst into the workers' rooms as they slept, said Abdul Basset Ayni, director of the province's rural development department.

Nine people, including a woman, who were working on reconstruction projects, were shot dead. They were employed by a Czech organization called People in Need, and included five project staff, two guards and two drivers, the charity's country director Ross Hollister said.