[R-G] Militants in Pakistan Destroy NATO Trucks

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/world/asia/08pstan.html>
December 8, 2008
Militants in Pakistan Destroy NATO Trucks
By JANE PERLEZ

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — More than 100 trucks loaded with supplies for
American forces in Afghanistan were destroyed Sunday by militants in
Peshawar, the city that serves as an important transit point for the
Afghan war effort.

It was the third major attack by Taliban militants on NATO supplies in
Pakistan in less than a month, and served to expose the vulnerability
of the route from the port of Karachi through Peshawar and over the
border into Afghanistan. The United States relies on the route for an
overwhelming proportion of its supplies for the war in Afghanistan.

The damaged trucks were loaded with American war materiel, including
Humvees, destined for the Afghan National Army, said Col. Greg Julian,
a spokesman for United States forces in Kabul.

The militants overwhelmed the rudimentary security system at two
parking lots where the trucks were parked in the heart of Peshawar.
They easily disarmed security guards at about 2:30 a.m., then threw
grenades and fired rockets at the loaded trucks.

"We were unable to challenge such a large number of armed men," said
Muhammad Rafiq, a security guard. He estimated that about 200
militants were involved in the attack.

Pakistani security forces apparently fired artillery at the attackers.
"There was artillery and rapid exchange of fire," said a retired
police official, Hidyatullah Arbab, who heard the firing from his
home. "Peshawar is becoming a battleground." Colonel Julian said the
loss of equipment would have a minimum impact on the overall war
effort.

"It's a very insignificant loss in terms of everything transported
into Afghanistan."

But critics of the war effort in Afghanistan have argued that the
United States needs to more urgently shape the Afghan Army into an
effective fighting force. The loss of supplies to the Afghan army
would be a setback in that endeavor.

About 80 percent of supplies for the war move from Karachi through
Pakistan and onto Afghanistan. Peshawar is the last staging point
before the border about 40 miles away, about an hour's journey.