Militants Destroy More NATO Tankers

Militants directed by the Taliban destroyed 27 NATO fuel tankers in an attack earlier today on a depot in Pakistan.

The attackers stormed the depot where dozens of tankers were being prepared for a Nato convoy near Rawat outside Islamabad just after midnight local time (1900 GMT Sunday).

"Between 10 and 12 men armed with automatic weapons stormed the depot from two sides," Umar Farooq, a senior Islamabad police official told local TV. "They opened indiscriminate fire on the tankers, many of whom ignited on the impact of the bullets."

Local police said three people had died and another nine people were wounded. A survivor said the drivers fled when the shooting started. Afterwards, the gunmen simply walked away, according to witnesses.

It is the second time Nato convoys have been attacked in recent days. On Friday, at least 27 lorries carrying supplies for Nato troops were set on fire in the southern Sindh province.

The lorries attacked on Monday were due to travel along the Khyber Pass to the Torkham border crossing, which has been closed for five days because of the dispute. More than 200 lorries carrying supplies for Nato troops remain stranded at the border post.

A Taliban spokesman told the AP news agency that the attacks would continue until the supplies had completely stopped. He added that a new wing of the group had been set up to focus on the convoys which travel through Pakistan from the port of Karachi.

Nato supplies come under regular attack in Pakistan and have little or no security.

By: Shelldrake