KABUL — Attackers set fire to hundreds of fuel tanker trucks in a parking lot on the outskirts of the Afghan capital, witnesses said Saturday, prompting drivers to block a major highway to demand reimbursement for their losses.
Hundreds of other drivers stood by helplessly on Saturday morning, unable to salvage any property as flames and smoke rose from the area and several fire engines rushed to the site.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the militants were targeting fuel tankers belonging to NATO forces.
“We couldn’t tell if the attackers were Taliban or other people,” said Juma Gul, 35, one of the drivers. “They were dressed in uniforms; we couldn’t understand what was happening. They were shooting toward the drivers, and they were setting the tankers on fire.”
Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said about 400 trucks caught fire late Friday and burned through Saturday morning, but he did not confirm the cause or provide other details. The Interior Ministry said it has set up a team to investigate the incident.
Truck drivers later blocked the highway between Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar to protest what they said was the government’s slow response and to demand reimbursement for their losses.
