Drivers killed in Afghanistan truck ambush

Suspected Taliban gunmen ambushed a convoy of civilian trucks carrying vehicles to the US military in southern Afghanistan, killing three of the drivers, an Afghan official said today.

The gunmen attacked the trucks yesterday after they crossed the Pakistani border at Spin Boldak, 55 miles south of Kandahar city, Spin Boldak District Chief Fazeluddin Agha.

Three of the drivers – two Pakistanis and one Afghan – were killed in a hail of gunfire that severely damaged the trucks and two of the military vehicles, Agha said. He did not identify the types of vehicles being transported.

The fourth driver escaped and told authorities that four gunmen had appeared in the road in front of the convoy and opened fire, Agha said.

Agha blamed Taliban militants for the attack, but provided no evidence to support his claim. Purported Taliban officials have in the past claimed responsibility for attacks on trucks supplying US bases.

Police arrived at the scene too late to make any arrests, Agha said.

Two witnesses who travelled the same route said that they had seen the stricken trucks surrounded by Afghan security forces.

A spokeswoman for the US military in Kabul said she was unaware of the incident.

There has been a resurgence in militant attacks since the end of the harsh Afghan winter, countering statements from US commanders and Afghan officials that the country is secure more than three years after the former Taliban government was driven out.