Afghanistan: April 1, 2005

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Either Taliban, or an extortion gang, attacked a convoy of fuel tankers near the Pakistani border, killing eight Pakistani drivers. Criminal gangs demand payments from the trucking companies for "protection." Companies that refuse to pay usually suffer attacks on their trucks. But the Taliban sometimes takes credit for attacks that suit their purpose. Killing eight Pakistani drivers is extreme for the gangs, because these many deaths is likely to bring a large number of police and troops into the area, and result on a major attack on the local gangs.