Kabul  - The Afghan Foreign Ministry summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in Kabul to protest the killing of several Afghans by Iranian border forces, the ministry said on Wednesday.

"The Afghan government has expressed its concern and asked the Iranian side to provide them with an explanation regarding the killing and wounding of several Afghan nationals by Iranian border forces in south-western province of Nimruz on Monday," the ministry said in statement.

Afghan officials in Nimruz province earlier said that four Afghans were killed and several others were wounded on Monday night as they tried to cross the border into Iran.

The diplomat, who was summoned to Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, was also told that "Afghans live in several countries in the world as refugees, but no country so far has treated them like this," the statement said.

"But unfortunately the Iranian forces have killed the Afghan nationals in the country for the second time in the past less than a month," it added.

Afghanistan shares a long border with Iran. The rugged border region is often used by drug smugglers or Afghan young men who cross illegally, mainly in search of employment.

An Afghan teacher was killed and two Iranian border guards were wounded when the two countries' border police exchanged fire over a land dispute in the same Nimruz province last month.

The gunbattle broke out after the Iranian border forces allegedly crossed the border into an Afghan village. (dpa)