Pro-Taliban militants in Landi Kotal blew up 13 oil tankers supplying fuel to international troops in Afghanistan, officials said on Friday. The explosion on Thursday night targeted tankers parked in the main town of Khyber tribal district, 35 kilometres west of Peshawar, a security official told AFP. “An improvised explosive device planted underneath a tanker went off, triggering a massive fire and gutting 13 tankers,” the official said on condition of anonymity. “We believe that pro-Taliban militants are behind the attack,” he added. He said hundreds of litres of petrol had been wasted. The fire was brought under control by local residents.
Assistant Political Agent Ahmed Khan Orakzai told a private TV channel that the local administration had issued a notice to oil tanker owners to transfer their tankers to a safe place, but they had chosen this site themselves. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from any party. The attack was the latest in a series on trucks and tankers supplying fuel to US bases in eastern and southern Afghanistan. |