South Asia News
Four NATO oil trucks gutted in Pakistan, driver killed
Nov 24, 2009, 4:52 GMT
Islamabad - At least four oil tankers carrying fuel for Western forces in Afghanistan were destroyed and one driver killed in south-eastern Pakistan early Tuesday, a news report said.
The attack took place before dawn in Dera Allah Yar, a small town located near the border between the provinces of Balochistan and Sindh.
Up to eight gunmen fired at the vehicles on a main highway, triggering a blaze that engulfed four oil trucks, Aaj News television channel said.
One driver was reported killed and the movement of trucks transporting US and NATO supplies has been temporarily suspended.
The coalition forces battling the Taliban insurgency in landlocked Afghanistan largely depend on Pakistan for non-essential supplies, which are are shipped to Sindh's capital Karachi and then hauled overland to the war-torn country.
Truckers mostly travel through Pakistan's north-western region but due to frequent militant attacks in the tribal badlands, some military supplies are sent via Balochistan, which also borders Afghanistan.
Ethnic Baloch tribes have been waging a low-level insurgency for years, demanding provincial autonomy and a higher share in profits from natural resources tapped in the region.
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