The Taliban says it detonated a bomb Wednesday in northern Afghanistan that destroyed at least 22 trucks carrying supplies to NATO forces.

The bomb exploded in Samangan province and caused the fuel tankers and supply vehicles to catch fire.

Afghan officials say the trucks were parked overnight and were on their way from Uzbekistan to NATO forces in southern Afghanistan.

NATO was forced to rely more heavily on the northern route into Afghanistan after Pakistan shut down its NATO supply lines for nearly seven months following a coalition airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Few trucks have so far crossed the Afghan border since Pakistan reopened the supply lines earlier this month.

Meanwhile, authorities say nine Afghan soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan when insurgents attacked their post in the Washer district of Helmand province.

British Prime Minister David Cameron met with Afghan officials and British troops stationed in Helmand during a trip to Afghanistan Wednesday. Britain has some 9,500 troops stationed in the country.

In the east, NATO says a bomb attack killed two of its soldiers Wednesday. Two other soldiers were wounded in a helicopter crash in western Afghanistan. The coalition says it is investigating the cause of the crash.

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