Taliban Suspected In Afghan Ambush

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

The attack came amid a wave of bombings, shootings and mine blasts that have killed or injured several Afghan and U.S. soldiers in recent weeks. Violence had dropped sharply during the harsh Afghan winter.

"This shows that some in the Taliban or other anti-government insurgents will continue to try to destabilize Afghanistan through violent acts," U.S. spokeswoman Lt. Cindy Moore said. "There is still a threat out there."

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

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 U.S. bases.

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

Two witnesses who traveled the same route told The AP in Kandahar that they had seen the stricken trucks surrounded by Afghan security forces.

U.S. commanders insist the insurgency is unraveling in the face of American operations and Afghan offers of reconciliation, while warning that a hard core of Taliban militants will fight on more than three years after the hardline militia was ousted for harboring al Qaeda.

Moore had no information on Friday's incident, but said the "number and severity of attacks" had increased and that the 17,000 U.S. forces in the country would "aggressively pursue those seeking to destabilize the government."

On Wednesday, an apparent car bomb exploded prematurely in eastern Afghanistan, killing the driver, just as U.S. first lady Laura Bush traveled to Kabul on a surprise visit. The day before, six Afghan and two American soldiers were injured in two ambushes.

Moore said several more homemade bombs were recently discovered by Afghan and U.S. forces near the Pakistani border.

Afghan officials said Friday that two men died the previous day when their tractor struck a mine in the northern town of Balkh. It was unclear if the mine was freshly laid or a leftover from the country's long wars.

By Noor Khan