Thursday, October 28, 2010

Back to the Pakistan Border

Is it open yet?

"NATO trucks use Pakistan crossing" by Associated Press  |  October 11, 2010

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — NATO trucks rolled over a key border crossing and headed into Afghanistan yesterday, a day after Pakistan lifted the blockade imposed after a US helicopter strike killed two soldiers.

The closing of the Torkham crossing to NATO vehicles stranded many fuel tankers at parking lots and on highways where they were vulnerable to militant attacks. Some 150 trucks were destroyed and some drivers and police were wounded in the near-daily attacks.

The reopening of the northwest crossing occurred four days after the United States apologized for the Sept. 30 helicopter attack, saying the pilots mistook the soldiers for insurgents being pursued across the border from Afghanistan.... 

Related: AmeriKa Double-Crosses Pakistan

AmeriKa Apologizes to Pakistan

Pakistan is a key supply route for fuel, military vehicles, spare parts, clothing, and other nonlethal supplies for foreign troops in landlocked Afghanistan — although NATO has reduced its reliance on the country by using Central Asian routes to the north. NATO now ships about 40 percent of its nonlethal supplies through Pakistan.

NATO said the Torkham closure did not affect its ability to keep troops supplied because hundreds of trucks still crossed into Afghanistan every day through Central Asia and one border crossing in Pakistan’s southwest that remained open.  

Related: NATO's Knee-Jerk Lies  

Then why the agenda-pushing media focus for days and days (and the drop-off of coverage after it was opened)?

But its reopening does reduce strain on the supply line.
 
Always a but with them.

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