Gunmen in Pakistan attacked and set fire to 20 trucks carrying supplies to Nato troops in Afghanistan today, police said, the latest in a series of attacks on the logistical backbone of the war there.
Fourteen gunmen in two pickup trucks opened fire on the tankers, destroying five and killing a driver, following attacks on other tankers claimed by Taliban militants on Sunday. One person was killed.
Pakistani authorities, angered by repeated incursions by Nato helicopters from Afghanistan, last week blocked a supply route for the troops in Afghanistan.
The latest attack on fuel tankers took place along another route. Nato incursions and the border closure have raised tensions between the United States and Pakistan, whose long alliance has often been strained.
The bulk of supplies for the foreign forces in Afghanistan moves through Pakistan which is itself battling a deadly homegrown Taliban insurgency.
Analysts say supply routes to Afghanistan give Pakistan leverage over the US war efforts in Afghanistan, although Pakistan often cites security concerns as reasons for closures.
US pressure on Pakistan to crack down harder on militants in its northwest tribal areas who cross the border to attack US-led Nato troops in Afghanistan is one source of friction.
Tensions could deepen if Washington demands more cooperation from Pakistan before a gradual US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, which has raised concerns over the country's stability, starts in July 2011.
An alleged al-Qaeda plot to attack European targets has put Pakistan's performance against militants under scrutiny again.
Pakistan has repeatedly said it is doing all it can to fight the militancy, pointing to the thousands of people it has lost in a wave of attacks over the past three years. It has, however, said it will not tolerate any incursions by foreign troops into its territory.
The Pentagon said earlier this week that Nato will soon release the results of a joint investigation by with Pakistan into last week's killing of three Pakistani soldiers in cross-border strike by Nato helicopters.
Reuters