Two civilian contractors tracking "terrorists" for the CIA were killed in an ambush in Afghanistan near the Pakistani border over the weekend, the CIA said on Tuesday.

William Carlson and Christopher Glenn Mueller "died while tracking terrorists operating in the region" on Saturday near Shkin, the CIA said.

Before working for the CIA, Carlson, 43, of Southern Pines, North Carolina, had experience in Army special operations. Mueller, 32, of San Diego, California, was a veteran of Navy special operations.

"These two men were no strangers to the hardships of service to country. They had been counted among the best of America's military," CIA Director George Tenet said in a statement.

More than 350 people, including civilians, foreign and government soldiers, aid workers and many rebels have been killed since August across Afghanistan.

The violence is the worst since US-led forces toppled the Taliban from power late in 2001 for harboring Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network.

(China Daily October 29, 2003)