Nato convoy : Five killed, over 24 oil tankers set ablaze

Militants blow up at least 11 tankers carrying fuel for NATO troops and shoot dead four people.

PESHAWAR:

Five people were killed and more than two dozen oil tankers were destroyed in a mortar attack in Peshawar suburbs on a convoy carrying fuel for Nato forces based in Afghanistan.

The attack occurred late on Thursday night.

Sources said that the containers were parked near the Ring Road when they were attacked at 2am. Assailants first fired on the vehicles, killing at least five persons, including a watchman, a driver and a conductor.

A man living in the same area told this correspondent that there were at least 25 attackers. “It was really terrible. I first heard firing at around 2am.”

Two of the deceased had sustained severe burn injuries as a result of the fire. The intense blaze was brought under control by firefighters after 12 hours.

Security forces later cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

None of the deceased have yet been identified.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26th, 2011.