Security of American Supplies to Afghanistan

by MJK on November 11, 2008

Over 90% of American and NATO supplies passes through Pakistan to enter Afghanistan. Over the past several years, the large amount of supplies passed through the region uninterrupted. Even common people can easily see large amount of containers passing through the bordering areas of Pakistan on daily basis. Even the sight of Hummers loaded over the trucks and travelling on the motorway was not uncommon. If you are frequent visitor to Peshawar from Islamabad and you use motorway, you can see the much sought after hummers proudly displaying insignias of US military. This sight could easily attract the terrorists to snatch those hummers and that is what exactly happened yesterday in near the Pak-Afghan Border. I think the Americans and their suppliers deserved this as they were too open and careless in passing their supplies through Pakistan.

Taliban with Humvees

I won’t be even surprised if incidents like these happen on daily basis because Western allies have become too confident and underestimate their enemies and now they are blaming Pakistani security forces for not protecting their supply routes. They should first remember the basics that were taught to them in their military schools that military supplies are never transported in broadday light without covering them.

LANDI KOTAL, Nov 10: Militants hijacked 13 containers carrying supplies for Nato forces from the highway linking Pakistan with Afghanistan after a brazen attack on Monday, as paramilitary personnel watched from the nearby Jamrud Fort.
The containers were ambushed by dozens of heavily armed men from Wazir Dhand, Teddi Bazaar and Sur Qamar on the Peshawar-Torkham highway. Several Khasadar checkpoints are located nearby.
â€œIt happened on the international highway and you can imagine the implications this can have for us,â€ an official told Dawn.
He said Taliban seized the containers on the road and emptied them â€œin clear view of paramilitary personnelâ€ deployed at Jamrud Fort, but they did not take any action.
The militants were later seen driving around in Jamrud area of Khyber Agency, near Peshawar, in military vehicles taken away from the containers. They had hoisted flags and banners of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and its leader Baitullah Mehsud on the vehicles.