Taliban threaten to attack NATO containers

Hours after the announcement of resumption of NATO supplies, the Pakistani Taliban issued threat to attack NATO containers and kill its drivers if they attempted to reopen the supply-line.

A media report quoting Ehsanullah Ehsan, the spokesperson of the Taliban, said, “We Will not allow any truck to pass and will attack it,” hours after Pakistan confirmed it had decided to reopen vital NATO supply routes into Afghanistan which have been closed since November”.

He threatened that they will not only set on fire the trucks but will also target the drivers of the containers.

Pakistan on Tuesday announced it would resume supply line for allied forces battling in Afghanistan, which was blocked on November 26 last year when NATO air-raid killed 24 Pakistan troops at the Salala check-post.

US Secretary of State said sorry over the losses of Pakistani military, admitting that it was mistake on part of the United States.

It is vital to mention here that the militants carried out dozens of attacks on NATO containers ahead of the closure, disrupting supply line to the allied forces battling in Afghanistan.

Later, Oil Tanker Association, which carried out NATO goods to Afghanistan from Karachi, expressed fears for more attacks, seeking strict security arrangements before the restoration of supply routes.

Celebrations by truckers, who will be the ones ferrying the goods through Pakistan and into Afghanistan, were cut short by this stark reminder. They demanded security for their drivers and trucks for resuming supplies.

President Oil Tanker Association Mir Mohammad Yousuf Shahwani while talking to the media said that NATO containers and tankers could be en route in days, demand foolproof security arrangements for them.

He noted, “It is a sudden decision but even then we can start supplies in days. The thing is, who will protect us. We need security, we need protection. Taliban have killed dozens of our drivers and torched hundreds of vehicles”.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Jul 4 2012. Filed under National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.