Tankers for U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan attacked in Pakistan

At least 10 tankers, carrying oil for the U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan, were destroyed early Monday morning when two missiles hit them at a Pakistani border area, witnesses said.

The private NNI news agency quoted the witnesses as saying that the tankers caught fire at the Pakistani border town of Torkhum, in North West Frontier Province.

No one was hurt in the attack at 4 a.m. local time.

Witnesses said that the missiles were fired at tankers, standing at a parking lot near the border.

Three missiles were also defused. A team of bomb disposal squad was called from the provincial capital of Peshawar to defuse the missiles.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack but Taliban in the past had claimed carrying out similar attacks.

Locals said that the missiles were fired from a small mountain.

Officials said that the missiles were fired through remote control.

The attack could not affect the cross-border traffic and it remained unaffected.

It is the second attack on oil tankers, carrying oil for American-led forces, in three weeks.

Eight oil tankers were destroyed when missiles hit them in Landi Kotal area of Pakistan's Kheyber tribal region.

Torakhum is one of the official border points between Pakistan and Afghanistan and is also the major trade route.

Dozens of containers and tankers, carrying goods and oil for U. S.-led forces in Afghanistan cross the border point daily.

Taliban have repeatedly warned Pakistan drivers not to carry goods and oil for the U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan to avoid their attacks.

Source: Xinhua