Taliban militants set fire to direct NATO convoy in Afghanistan
Islamabad (AsiaNews) - Six people were killed and nine others wounded in an attack claimed by the Taliban on NATO tankers. The attack occurred last night near the capital and at least 20 trucks were burned after a dozen militants stormed the depot and fired on vehicles waiting to load oil. Some of the shots ignited on impact, setting fire to the trucks.
The Taliban have claimed responsibility for similar attacks in the north and south (Sindh) on 1 and 3 October, where approximately 60 trucks were destroyed. The trucks are used for supplies to NATO troops fighting in Afghanistan.
These attacks come at a tense time in relations between NATO and Pakistan: at the end of September, a NATO air Bliz in Afghanistan encroached into neighboring Pakistan, killing three soldiers. In response, Islamabad blocked some convoy trains serving NATO in Afghanistan.
According to Pakistani and foreign personalities, interviewed by AsiaNews, the attacks on NATO convoys give militants great publicity, but do not affect their operations in Afghanistan. Their number has not grown much in these two years and most of the convoys reach their destination unscathed.
The tension between NATO, the U.S. and Pakistan is however rising. Washington wants Islamabad above all to do more to combat anti-terrorist operations against the Taliban that have found refuge in Pakistan, especially in the northwest frontier, bordering Afghanistan.
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