The massive fire at the border town of Islam Qala, 120 kilometers west of Herat city, has inflicted hundreds of millions of dollars in financial damage to investors who kept their goods parked at the area and distributed them to other parts of the country once they were cleared through customs.

As the NATO defense ministers meeting comes to a close, the Taliban in a message to NATO leaders said the continuation of foreign forces' presence in Afghanistan is neither in favor of the international organization nor does it benefit Afghans.