Pakistan Reopens Border Crossing

Key supply route was closed 11 days
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 9, 2010 11:20 AM CDT
Updated Oct 10, 2010 2:18 PM CDT
Pakistan Reopens Border Crossing
Local residents look to burning oil tankers after a militant attack in Mithri, Pakistan, on Saturday. Gunmen torched 29 NATO oil tankers in southwestern Pakistan before dawn Saturday, the latest attack on the supply line.   (AP Photo)

Pakistan reopened a key border crossing used to transport supplies to NATO troops in Afghanistan today, a day earlier than expected. The 11-day blockade had raised tensions with Washington and left stranded trucks vulnerable to attacks. About 150 trucks were destroyed during the blockade, and drivers and police were injured. In a short statement, the Foreign Ministry said it decided to reopen the border after assessing security concerns.

Pakistan closed the northwest crossing at Torkham on Sept. 30, the same day a NATO airstrike killed two Pakistani soldiers along the border. The US on Wednesday apologized for that strike after an investigation concluded the "tragic event could have been avoided with better coalition force coordination with the Pakistan military." Pakistan is a key supply route for fuel, military vehicles, spare parts, clothing, and other non-lethal supplies for foreign troops in Afghanistan. (More Pakistan stories.)

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