When Pakistan shut down the Chaman and Torkham (Khyber Pass) border crossings to NATO supply convoys in the wake of the US airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in Mohmand, it was just a matter of time before the Taliban and other groups began attacking the trucks. Today, in Quetta, nearly 20 NATO supply and fuel trucks were destroyed while parked at a compound. From Dawn:
Up to 20 trucks were destroyed in a rocket attack Thursday on a Nato trucking terminal in Quetta supplying troops in neighbouring Afghanistan, police said.
A number of oil tankers and goods trucks were parked in the temporary terminal after Pakistan shut down supply lines for Nato forces in anger at a deadly cross-border air strike which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
Senior police official Malik Arshad told AFP that unknown gunmen fired bullets and a rocket at the Nato oil tankers and the ensuing blaze engulfed 15 to 20 vehicles in Quetta, capital of the southwestern province of Baluchistan.
Last year, when the border crossings were closed under similar circumstances to NATO convoys for 10 days, more than 200 NATO fuel tankers and supply trucks and containers were savaged in major attacks against convoys and at rest stops in Baluchistan and Khyber-Paktunkwha provinces, as well as just outside the cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Some US officials believed the Pakistani military gave various Islamist groups the green light to hit the convoys in order to raise the pressure on NATO.
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7 Comments
Yup, the only surprise is it took so long. Sounds like exactly what the Paki’s knew and wanted to happen.
Just one guy thinkin’ out loud here: Why don’t we just go park the trucks at Zardari’s house. He’s outta the country getting his ticker fixed anyway. I betcha we could park a few in that courtyard in Casa Bin Laden in Abbottabad. More than a few. And there is plenty of unused tarmac space at PNS Mehran where they used to park P-3 Orions awhile ago. If secure parking for the supply trucks is such an issue, those might could be some places to do for a few in the meanwhile, you reckon?
How hard is that problem for a few supply officers to solve, really? If they got their heads on straight, that is……
Twenty trucks lost is worth it for the PR gained.
Now encourage India to attack Pakistan. I can’t believe the West stopped India from countering after Bombay…
Torching NATO containers doesn’t have only political background. In many areas, it was reported that NATO containers were torched after being looted. So, NATO containers have become a large source of illegal weapons and accessories in Pakistan. Moreover, I think that in the presence of a coward leadersdhip, there can be no better response by masses to NATO invigilations in Pakistan borders than torching NATO containers.
Just another example of our $2.524 billion dollars in Pakistani aide paying off. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to just burn $6.9 million dollars every day in a parking lot somewhere?
Latest is that Pakistan has ordered shoot down of all U.S. drones in Pakistani air space. In light of the fact that drones have proven so useful to us in the WoT, what now do we do???
Frankly, I’m so sick & tired of seeing my hard-earned tax dollars going over to the planet’s greatest ingrate nation. There is now no excuse whatsoever for continuation of aid of any kind to Pakistan. Let’s see how the Pakistani people deal with Chinese foreign aid. I give it 3 months tops before they yearn for the good old days of American largesse.
If we can’t transit Pakistan’s land for resupply and we can’t fire at enemy forces inside Pakistan, exacting what are we getting for the aid given to Pakistan?