Two Nato tankers torched in Balochistan

Gunmen on a motorcycle attacked two tankers carrying fuel for Western forces in Afghanistan in Bolan near Quetta.

QUETTA: Gunmen on a motorcycle attacked and torched two tankers carrying fuel for Western forces in Afghanistan in Bolan, 70 km east of Quetta, in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, paramilitary officials in the region said.

The bulk of supplies and equipment required by foreign troops in Afghanistan are shipped through Pakistan.

Nato trucks and  tankers are regularly targeted with arson attacks blamed on insurgents attempting to disrupt supply to foreign troops in Afghanistan.

In January, The Express Tribune reported that Pakistani officials had blamed Nato for rejecting a security plan that Islamabad had unveiled to Western states last year to curb the growing number of attacks on the supply tankers.

The plan was unveiled to Nato officials in a meeting in Islamabad last year where Balochistan government officials were also present. British diplomats agreed to the plan but Nato officials rejected it without citing any reason.