US Aid Worker Shot Dead in Pakistan

Gunmen shot and killed an American aid worker as he traveled to work today in northwestern Pakistan, the latest in a spate of attacks on foreigners in the militancy-wracked country. The shooting occurred in University Town, an upscale area of Peshawar where a top US diplomat was attacked just a few months ago, police said.

Police identified the dead American as Stephen Vance, who was involved in US government-funded development projects in the tribal areas next to the border. The gunmen blocked the vehicle in a narrow lane with their own car, then opened fire with automatic weapons, said a Western security official in Peshawar. "It was obviously well-targeted," said the official. Police did not speculate on the identity of the assailants. (More Pakistan stories.)