Pakistan has resumed fuel shipments to NATO forces in Afghanistan after suspending the shipments for several hours. Pakistani officials claim the suspension of shipments was due to security fears but the suspension came just days after a US commando raid into Pakistan that killed 20 terrorists.
This is probably a message from Pakistan to US and NATO forces that it can halt logistical support to NATO forces at any time it wants. Reuters
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ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan has reopened supply lines to Western forces in Afghanistan, after the road through the Khyber Pass was blocked on Saturday, days after a raid by U.S. commandos on a Pakistani village, a minister said on Monday.
Rehman Malik, the top Interior Ministry official, said the road was unblocked after a few hours, and traffic had only been halted for security reasons, although the country's defence minister had earlier said the action was taken in response to violations of Pakistani territory by Western forces.[...]
But the move to stop tankers carrying fuel came after the new government expressed outrage over the killing of 20 people, including women and children, during a U.S. commando raid on a remote border village in Pakistani tribal lands on September 3.
Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar told Dawn Television on Saturday that the fuel supply route through Torkham had been blocked "to tell how serious we are".
Monday, September 8, 2008
Pakistan Resumes Fuel Shipments to NATO
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Pakistan Temporary Suspends Fuel Shipments to NATO in Afghanistan
We can always count on our allies the Pakistanis. Dawn
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LANDI KOTAL, Sept 5: The government is reported to have decided to stop fuel supplies to Nato forces in Afghanistan via the Torkham highway with effect from Saturday.
“An order to this effect has come from Islamabad and the Frontier Corps has been asked to stop oil supplies to Nato forces forthwith,” a senior government official said.
Sources said the federal government did not cite any reason for the move, but the decision was apparently taken in the wake of the US ground and missile attacks in North and South Waziristan tribal regions.The Torkham highway, linking Peshawar with Kabul and northern parts of Afghanistan and Central Asian states, is a major supply route for the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in the war-ravaged country.
Over 20 heavily-loaded vehicles, including oil tankers, were stranded at the border town of Torkham following the government’s decision.
