Huge truck bomb seized

2004-10-08 16:32

Kabul - A fuel tanker rigged as a huge truck bomb was seized on the outskirts of Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar on Friday on the eve of landmark elections, a spokesperson for Nato peacekeepers said.

The tanker was carrying 40 000 litres of fuel and packed with explosives, including several rocket rounds and anti-tank mines, Lieutenant Commander Ken McKillop told AFP.

Three Pakistanis were arrested and Afghan security forces had called for assistance in dealing with the truck, he said.

Afghan defence ministry spokesperson General Mohammad Zahir Azimi told a news briefing: "It could have been a very huge explosion. They will try to defuse the bomb otherwise they will detonate the truck."

In another sign of trouble ahead for the presidential elections on Saturday, two suspected suicide bombers were arrested in eastern Jalalabad city, Azimi said.

"They were arrested while wearing waistcoats packed with explosives," he said.

McKillop said the two men referred to by Azimi had been arrested at a bus station while waiting to travel to Kabul.

"They had 12 IEDs (improvised explosive devices) in their possession," he said, adding that one was a Pakistani and the other an Afghan.

- SAPA