Pakistan blocks NATO supply trucks

[Talal]

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistani government officials say senior authorities have ordered them to block oil tankers and trucks carrying NATO supplies at a checkpoint bordering Afghanistan.


The two officials say they were not told the reason for the order at the Torkham border post. However, it comes after threats by Pakistani officials to stop providing protection to NATO convoys if the military alliance's choppers hit Pakistani targets again.


Earlier Thursday, Pakistani officials alleged a NATO airstrike hit a border post, killing three Pakistani troops.


The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information to the media.




THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.


ISLAMABAD (AP) — A NATO helicopter attack Thursday killed three Pakistani security officers close to the Afghan border, Pakistani officials alleged.


A NATO official in Afghanistan confirmed there was an attack in the border area close to the Upper Orakzai region, but gave no further details saying the incident was being investigated. He and the Pakistani security officers declined to give their names, citing the sensitivity of the incident.


The attack was likely to worsen ties between Pakistan and NATO-led forces in Afghanistan at a crucial time in the 9-year war.


Relations have been tense since NATO helicopters last weekend opened fire on targets across the border, killing several alleged insurgents. Those incidents were protested by the Pakistan government.


Pakistani officials differed on the exact location of the incident, saying it either took place in Upper Kurram or Upper Orakzai. The remote districts neighbor each other and there is no marked border between the two.


The dead men were from a paramilitary force tasked with safeguarding the border, they said. Their bodies had been taken to the region's largest town of Parachinar, said one of them.


Pakistan has a complicated alliance with the United States and NATO that is often subject to tensions.


Pakistan has to balance its support for Western forces in Afghanistan with the intense anti-U.S. feelings of much of its population. Opinion polls show many people regard the United States as an enemy, and conspiracy theories stating U.S. troops are poised to attack Pakistan and take over its nuclear weapons are common.


Reichmann reported from Kabul, Afghanistan. Associated Press writer Hussain Hafzal contributed to this report from Parachinar.

[Talal]

Pakistan Blocking NATO Supplies to Afghanistan



CBS/AP) Pakistani government officials say senior authorities have ordered them to block oil tankers and trucks carrying NATO supplies at a checkpoint bordering Afghanistan.

The two officials say they were not told the reason for the order at the Torkham border post. However, it comes after threats by Pakistani officials to stop providing protection to NATO convoys if the military alliance's choppers hit Pakistani targets again.

Earlier Thursday, Pakistani officials alleged a NATO airstrike hit a border post, killing three Pakistani troops.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information to the media.

A NATO official in Afghanistan confirmed there was an attack in the border area close to the Upper Orakzai region on Thursday, but gave no further details saying the incident was being investigated. He and the Pakistani security officers declined to give their names, citing the sensitivity of the incident.

The attack was bound to worsen ties between Pakistan and NATO-led forces in Afghanistan at a crucial time in the 9-year war. The supply routes from Pakistan are vital for U.S. and NATO forces operating in Afghanistan, and convoys are often attacked by militants as the cross the border.

If Pakistani border guards were to halt the flow of supplies into Pakistan, it would represent a massive logistical challenge for U.S. and NATO commanders, and an equally large diplomatic challenge for Western leaders dealing with an increasingly frustrated Pakistani government.

Senior members of al Qaeda, the Taliban and other Islamic radical groups are believed to be hiding along the two countries' porous border, and the U.S. campaign of drone missile strikes on militant targets on the Pakistani side has ramped up dramatically in recent months.

Pakistan Missile Strikes Paying Off?

Intelligence officials, all speaking on condition of anonymity, suggested Thursday that some of the strikes were specifically aimed at militant leaders plotting a commando-style siege on major European cities.

Officials said Wednesday the threat was "still active," with some unnamed law enforcement agents even telling CNN that Osama bin Laden himself had signed off on the plans, which allegedly involved teams of well-armed militants simultaneously attacking sites in London, France and Germany.

However, not one of those European governments raised the terror threat level in their countries over the alleged plot, and the officials qualified their warnings by saying there had been no "imminent threat". The posturing led many experts and analysts - including a CBS News source in London with direct access to senior law enforcement agents, to speculate that the news of the plot was little more than a fabrication to justify the fierce bombing in Pakistan.

Beware Governments Trumpeting Terror Threats

Relations have been tense since NATO helicopters last weekend opened fire on targets on the Pakistani side of the border, killing several alleged insurgents. Those incidents were protested by Pakistan's government.

Pakistani officials differed on the exact location of the incident, saying it either took place in Upper Kurram or Upper Orakzai. The remote districts neighbor each other and there is no marked border between the two.

The dead men were from a paramilitary force tasked with safeguarding the border, they said. Their bodies had been taken to the region's largest town of Parachinar, said one of them.

Pakistan has a complicated alliance with the United States and NATO that is often subject to tensions.

Pakistan has to balance its support for Western forces in Afghanistan with the intense anti-U.S. feelings of much of its population. Opinion polls show many people regard the United States as an enemy, and conspiracy theories stating U.S. troops are poised to attack Pakistan and take over its nuclear weapons are common.

[Talal]

The supply route through Pakistan, which passes through dangerous regions,*is critical for international forces

Pakistan has blocked a vital supply route for international forces in Afghanistan in apparent retaliation for an alleged cross-border helicopter*raid by Nato troops that killed three Pakistani frontier soldiers.

Over the weekend, Nato helicopters fired on targets in Pakistan at least two times, killing several suspected*fighters they*allegedly pursued over the border from Afghanistan.

Pakistan's government protested against the attacks, which came in a month during which there have been an unprecedented number of drone missile*attacks in the country's northwest.

Pakistan also threatened to stop providing protection to Nato convoys if the military alliance's helicopters attacked targeted inside Pakistan again.

Kamal Hyder, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Islamabad, said*on Thursday that there are reports of 100 Nato supply*lorries already being held up at the Torkham border post in retaliation for the earlier cross-border Nato*raids.

"A Nato convoy had been moving through Khyber Pass, but the trucks were turned back from entering the Khyber region," he said. "We are also told that the CIA chief [Leon Panetta] in Islamabad has been addressing this issue."

Our correspondent*also said that the Pakistani government is making quite a big noise about it. Pakistan said that Isaf [the Nato-led force] and Nato must respect the mandate under which they are operating. They are expressing deep concerns that, despite the fact that [Isaf] knew where these positions were, they still went ahead."

Critical*supply route

Khyber is on the main Nato supply route through Pakistan into Afghanistan, where more than 152,000 US international troops are fighting the Taliban.

This supply route is critical for non-military supplies for Isaf: it is reported that up to 250 vehicles a day cross the Pakistan border into Afghanistan as part of the Nato supply chain. Pakistan's relations with Nato are already strained over the*intensifying*drone*attacks in the border regions.

Rehman Malik, the Pakistani interior minister, said of the border incident: "We will have to see whether we are allies or enemies."

A permanent stoppage of supply vehicles would place massive strains on Nato and hurt the Afghan war effort.

Speaking from Kabul, Sue Turton, Al Jazeera's correspondent, said*on Thursday that Nato had launched an investigation into the reports.

"Initial reports said that [the Isaf helicopters] didn't encroach on Pakistani air space. Nato claims it carried out the attack on the Afghan side of the border. If they do want to cross the border, which coalition forces say they often do in self-defence, they usually get in touch with their Pakistani counterparts beforehand, if not during the operation," she said.

Nato has said previously that it has the right to self-defence. The*multinational force*has on at least one other*occasion acknowledged mistakenly killing Pakistani security forces stationed close to the border.

The surge in*suspected Taliban*activity inside Afghanistan and apparent increased willingness by Nato to attack targets on the border, or just inside Pakistan, could be a sign the*international forces are losing patience with Pakistan.

The country has long been*accused of harbouring*Afghan Taliban fighters*in its lawless tribal regions.

[Talal]

I hope next time they shoot these suckers down

[Shayesta]

So this means no more six-hour-long traffic on Mahi-Par highway any more!? :O


*Now Lets Hope USA Doesn't Increase It's Aid Again*

[Talal]

WASHINGTON -- For the third time in one week NATO aircraft have crossed the border from Afghanistan into Pakistan and carried out strikes against enemy forces in what NATO and Pentagon officials have described as acts of self defense.

But in a strike that occurred early Thursday morning in a area of Pakistan*near Afghanistan's Paktiya province, NATO helicopters killed 3 Pakistani soldiers they mistook for enemy militants.

According to a statement released by Pakistan's government*shortly after the incident, 3 of its Frontier Corps troops fired their rifles towards the NATO aircraft to*indicate they*were crossing into sovereign territory. "Instead of heeding to the warning, helicopters went to fire two missiles, destroying the post. As a result, three Frontier Corps soldiers have embraced shahadat (killed) and three have been injured," the statement read.* NATO has since apologized to the Pakistani military and the families of the soldiers killed and injured.

Now it appears Pakistan has responded to the cross-border raids by blocking a vital supply route into Afghanistan from at the Torkham border crossing, better known as the Khyber pass. It's one of the largest supply routes into the country and it's used heavily by U.S. and NATO truck convoys.

All this follows a month of increased CIA operated drone strikes within Pakistan targeting Al Qaeda and Taliban militants. Although Pakistan's government quietly approves of these killings, public outrage over cross border raids and a general increase in the number of drone strikes puts the government in a difficult position.

When CIA director Leon Panetta visited Islamabad this week Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani hold him he is "profoundly concerned" about the missile strikes and helicopter attacks. Pakistan "expects its partners to respect its territorial sovereignty," he said, according to a statement from his office. At the same time Panetta*tried to convince*the Prime Minister to crack down on militants in Pakistan's tribal areas.

It's also likely Panetta brought up the fact that the mastermind behind a foiled plot to*conduct a*Mumbai-style attack targeting Western tourists at hotels in Europe, Mohammed Ilyas Kashmiri, is based in Pakistan.

President Obama made clear in his speech at West Point last December that cooperating with Pakistan is key to winning the Afghan war. "Our success in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to our partnership with Pakistan," Obama said.

But in the wake of these increased tensions serious questions are being raised about rules of engagement for US and NATO forces operating across the border,*as well as the level to which these forces are communicating with Pakistan.

It's feared that if the relationship between these two militaries deteriorates further, Pakistan could lose interest in fighting its own terrorist save havens.

[Feroza_Banu]

blah blah blah!... kota apne maalik ko bhonk raha hai!

bhok to lagegi kabhi ya nahi? apne kal kei socho kotoooo!

[Talal]

blah blah blah!... kota apne maalik ko bhonk raha hai!

bhok to lagegi kabhi ya nahi? apne kal kei socho kotoooo!

real classy

But I am of the opinion that usually it takes one to know one

[Feroza_Banu]

^your offended. it takes one to get offended!

[Talal]

^ Not exactly sure what that is supposed to mean but no im not offended just dissapointed by your remarks..having a vendetta against a country is one thing but using foul language to curse them outright is just poor manners...especially when i have never provoked anyone, and your a senior member here..but then again that doesnt deter the other users from making these kinda remarks so carry on

[Feroza_Banu]

^ Not exactly sure what that is supposed to mean but no im not offended just dissapointed by your remarks..having a vendetta against a country is one thing but using foul language to curse them outright is just poor manners...especially when i have never provoked anyone, and your a senior member here..but then again that doesnt deter the other users from making these kinda remarks so carry on

zghalaaaaaa zooooooooooooooooo... now u will teach me manners? go preach ur high values to those "worse than kuta" sitting on high rank posts in your country. your government and its officials are worse than dogs. i have actually disrespected dogs by calling ur government officials and ISI agents by an animal's name that is considered very loyal. there is no animal on this earth to match how low they are.

You don't have to take it personal if you don't consider yourself on side with these "kutas"... the comment was not directed to you but since u got offended it means u are on their side... then oh well... think whatever u want.

and frankly speaking do i give a damn about what some talal thinks of me on PF? disappointed my foot!

mind ur own business... u can't control what I can and can't say here...

[Talal]

lol

[ComradePashtun]

What is with the whole pretence, Talal. Is it part of some kind of unease and uncontrolled anxiety or you are here to impress us? What ban? What is sovereignty to you Pakistanis? You should also post another article in which, an apparently top security observer in Pakistan, Talal (Hussien?) or something an ex general is saying that there is nothing else Pakistan can do, whilst not being able to maintain this blockade, this however hilights the potential lever Pakistan has in its relation with the U.S., however. A lever with no utility. Brace yourself son, you are being reckoned.

[ComradePashtun]

That said, having you trapped and cornered with no recourse is also not desireable.

[Toramana]

When world bank, IMF, etc. would tight screws, Paki's Punjabi tummy would start making hot noises...