Karachi, March 12: Unknown gunmen have set ablaze at least two NATO oil containers in Pakistan’s volatile Baluchistan province, stepping up attacks on the supplies of US-led troops based in Afghanistan.
The trucks carrying fuel for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, were heading toward Chaman bordering region from the port city of Karachi when unidentified gunmen opened fire on them in Bolan district,
Both oil tankers were destroyed during the attack, which took place some 400 kilometers southeast of the capital Quetta of Baluchistan province.
However, no casualties have been reported in the incident as the attackers were seen fleeing the scene.
No group or individual has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which came hours after a rocket killed at least six people in Jaffarabad district of Baluchistan province earlier on Saturday.
The US military and NATO rely heavily on the Pakistani supply route into landlocked Afghanistan, more so now that Taliban attacks are increasing.
Supplies arrive by sea in the southern port city of Karachi, where security analysts believe most of the Afghan Taliban leadership is now hiding. From there, they must travel in long, exposed convoys, through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan.
Militants in the rugged tribal area have staged violent attacks in recent months, torching hundreds of NATO vehicles and containers destined for foreign troops in Afghanistan.
In response, the Pakistani authorities have deployed large contingents of police and military forces on all major arteries in the area to curb the attacks.
Other routes, largely through Russia and the Central Asian states, have proved to be too costly, both politically and economically.
—-Agencies