A bomb planted by Taliban rebels destroyed five trucks carrying oil for the U.S. military in Afghanistan and wounded three drivers, a senior Afghan army official said. The pre-dawn blast destroyed one of the trucks parked outside Kandahar airbase -- a major U.S. military base in southern Afghanistan -- and caused four others to catch fire, said General Muslim Hamid, army corps commander for Kandahar province. "Three drivers of the tankers have been critically wounded in the incident," he said, adding the three were from neighboring Pakistan. Taliban attacks have picked up following a winter lull after the guerrillas failed in their vow to disrupt October elections. But activity is down on past years, fueling speculation that the movement may be struggling to find recruits and resources. The attack on the oil tankers came a day after the Taliban triggered a remote-control explosive device that injured nine Afghan government soldiers in a passing car in Zabul province, district chief Wazir Mohammad told Reuters. Taliban spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi confirmed the rebels were behind both attacks.
| The Taliban are a pretty honest bunch, as far as terror organizations go. They don't say "We want to throw the infidels out because that's what the Afghan people want." Instead they just concentrate on hollering "Arrrr! We're gonna take power back and we'll kill anybody that gets in our way!" |