Truck ban hampers supply line to Afghanistan

[unhappycamper]

A Pakistani driver walks beside parked trucks loaded with supplies for American and NATO forces Nov. 16 in Peshawar. Pakistan has temporarily suspended oil tankers and trucks carrying sealed containers from using a key passage to Afghanistan, an official said, a move that will likely impact supplies heading to U.S. and NATO troops.


Truck ban hampers supply line to Afghanistan
By Riaz Khan and Fisnik Abrashi - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Nov 16, 2008 16:18:05 EST

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Container trucks and oil tankers bound for U.S and NATO troops in Afghanistan were forced off the road on Sunday after militant attacks prompted Pakistan to block a major supply line, highlighting the vulnerability of the mountain passage.

The suspension in northwest Pakistan was confirmed on Sunday and was intended to allow for a review of security in the famed Khyber Pass. The convoys currently have little to no security detail as they travel to Afghanistan with vital food, fuel and other goods.

The ban on container trucks and tankers could be lifted as early as Monday with new procedures in place, said Bakhtiar Khan, a No. 2 government representative in the area.

Al-Qaida and Taliban fighters are behind much of the escalating violence along the lengthy, porous Afghan-Pakistan border. Both Afghanistan and Pakistan have accused each other of not doing enough to stop militant activity, while U.S. missile strikes in Pakistani territory have ratcheted up tensions further.

Last Monday, dozens of suspected Taliban militants hijacked several trucks near the Khyber Pass whose load included Humvees heading to the U.S.-led coalition. Over the weekend, U.S.-led coalition troops reported killing 38 insurgents in fighting in southern Afghanistan and detaining two militant leaders near Pakistan’s lawless border.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/ap_pakistan_supplyline_111608/%2e