Hundreds of oil tanker trucks have been destroyed by the Taliban outside of Kabul, targeted for supplying fuel to U.S. and NATO-led troops operating inside the country.
Injuries and deaths have not been confirmed, but large fireballs were reported overnight as the trucks exploded and billows of black smoke could be seen for miles into Saturday morning.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the trucks were targeting because they carry fuel used by US/NATO-led forces.
News agencies were reporting various estimates of the exact number of trucks destroyed in the attack, with some outlets reporting as many as four hundred while others, citing Afghan officials, put the number closer to two hundred.
A statement from Afghan foreign ministry said the "number of tankers on fire is not yet clear, but based on preliminary reports from police around 200 tankers have been burnt."
According to Reuters:
The attack happened as Afghanistan prepares to announce preliminary results of the final round of a presidential election on Monday in a tense atmosphere. Each of the two candidates vying to succeed President Hamid Karzai accuses the other of mass fraud.
The Taliban have vowed to disrupt the election process. On Thursday, militants fired rockets into Kabul's international airport, destroying a helicopter.
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