Militants Thursday blew up four oil tankers and three containers carrying fuel and other supplies for NATO troops in Afghanistan, killing two people, officials said.

The incidents took place in the Khyber tribal region near the Afghan border, top local administration official Shafeerullah Khan told AFP.

"A bomb planted underneath an oil tanker exploded while it was on the move in a market in Landi Kotal town of Khyber turning the vehicle into a ball of flame, which also engulfed four nearby vehicles and killed two people," Khan said.

He blamed the attacks, which also wounded 11 people, on local militants.

The lawless Khyber is on the main NATO supply route through Pakistan into Afghanistan, where 150,000 foreign forces are battling to reverse an escalating Taliban insurgency.

Khan said militants also blew up three oil tankers and four containers carrying fuel and other supplies for NATO troops. "These vehicles were parked in Torkhum town at the time of attack", he added.

Local intelligence officials in Khyber also confirmed the attacks and casualties.

NATO supplies also travel through the southwestern province of Baluchistan, which is troubled by Taliban violence and attacks by separatists who rose up in 2004 demanding autonomy and a greater share of profits from natural resources

earlier related report

Czechs to send up to 200 more soldiers to Afghanistan
Prague (AFP) Sept 23, 2010 –

The Czech Republic will boost its contingent in Afghanistan next year to about 700 soldiers from the current 535, the defence ministry told AFP on Thursday.

"We are talking about a figure close to 700 soldiers for next year, while the mandate for this year was 535," said Jan Pejsek, head of the ministry's press department.

The CTK news agency on Thursday quoted Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra as saying the figure may reach up to 730 in the end.

But Pejsek said no exact figure had been set as the proposal was still subject to approval by the cabinet, which would receive it in early October, and by the parliament.

Vondra said earlier this month he wanted to cut Czech troop numbers in Kosovo this year to 90 from the 270 who are deployed there now, and to "adequately" boost Czech presence in Afghanistan where Czech soldiers "are undoubtedly needed and will be needed for about three more years".

Most Czech soldiers deployed in Afghanistan work in a provincial reconstruction team in the eastern Logar province.

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