Outraged by the "brutal murder" of Indian engineer K. Suryanarayana by the Taliban in Afghanistan, India Sunday asserted that it would "never bow before such acts of terror" and asked the international community to join hands in defeating it.

In a strong message to "the Taliban and its sponsors", New Delhi made it clear that it will leave no stone unturned in bringing perpetrators of such "dastardly acts of terror" to justice and continue to extend assistance for the reconstruction of the war-torn country.

"The government and people of India will never bow to such acts of terrorism and will continue their fraternal assistance to the people of Afghanistan in their endeavors to bring peace, stability and economic recovery to their country ravaged by years of conflict," Indo-Asian News Service quoted Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran as saying.

The Indian government confirmed that Suryanarayana was killed in Zabul province even as an Indian official team reached Kabul Sunday morning, trying to negotiate his release with the Taliban.

Suryanarayana was abducted on Friday from Zabul on the Kabul- Kandahar road. The 41-year-old telecom engineer was working for a Bahrain-based cellular company, Roshan.

The Taliban killed Suryanarayana before their 24-hour deadline was to end at 6 p.m. (1230 GMT) Sunday. The militia had demanded the withdrawal of Indian workers from Afghanistan in return for his release.

Afghan authorities also confirmed that they had found the body of Suryanarayana, hours after he was executed in Zabul province.

The body of the slain engineer will be brought back and sent to his family in Hyderabad on Monday.

"The government of India is appalled by this dastardly and inhuman act of terror on the part of the Taliban and its sponsors, which has resulted in the tragic and untimely death of an innocent Indian citizen, who, like many of our other compatriots, had been making a contribution to Afghanistan's reconstruction with dedication and diligence," Saran said in a statement Sunday afternoon.

Saran underlined the political nature of the killing, saying that the kidnappers had "premeditated" the killing in a bid to intimidate Indian workers engaged in a slew of reconstruction projects there into leaving the country.

"It is obvious that the kidnappers were not interested in negotiating for his release but had premeditated his killing," said Saran.

"The outrageous demand that all Indians should leave Afghanistan within 24 hours testifies to the real motivation behind this act of terror," he stressed.

"There is zero tolerance for terror. This underscores the need for the international community, including India and Pakistan, to join hands and defeat terror," he said.

"The government of India regards Taliban a terrorist organization and calls upon the international community to recognize its true colors and join hands together to defeat this scourge to humanity," Saran said in a statement.

Suryanarayana's kidnapping and killing has put the spotlight on the safety and security of nearly 2,000 Indians who are working on infrastructure projects in Afghanistan.

This is the third such incident in which the Taliban has targeted an Indian.

Source: Xinhua