Pakistan official: 15 killed in NATO tanker blast (AP)

Saturday, May 21, 2011 12:01 AM By dwi

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A soldier carrying oil for NATO forces in Afghanistan exploded Sat in northwestern Pakistan as grouping proven to siphon soured whatever of its fuel, and 15 were killed, an official said. Separately, 14 NATO tankers were damaged in a onslaught at a nearby abut town, but no digit was hurt.

The incidents underscored the dangers linked to the vehicles that circularize non-lethal supplies for Western personnel in Afghanistan finished Pakistan. Such convoys frequently grappling bombings and another attacks by Taleban and another militants, as well as mediocre criminals, and whatever Asiatic civilians intend perceive as a result.

Both incidents occurred primeval in the day in Pakistan's Khyber tribal region, an area where numerous trucks carrying supplies for U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan must traverse, topical administrator Abdul Nabi Khan said.

In the Landi Kotal area of Khyber, a soldier prototypal caught fire. After it appeared the brightness was baritone control, grouping proven to verify the tanker's fuel. Then the blast occurred, ending 15 grouping and wounding at small one, Khan said.

The 14 tankers damaged in the onslaught were parked at Torkham, a town along the Pakistan-Afghan border. Torkham has witnessed whatever attacks on the US-NATO supply line.

U.S. and NATO commanders implore that the attacks in Pakistan barely affect their operations. But in past years, the militaries hit proven to turn their dependency on Pakistan routes, progressively using anchorage running finished Central Asian countries and relying on supplies to be flown in.

Also Saturday, new published U.S. smooth cables gave more info most U.S. primary forces' status in Pakistan's expeditionary offensives against insurgents, underscoring that it went well-beyond the upbringing of Asiatic personnel that had been acknowledged publicly.

The cables were obtained finished the Wikileaks organization and published by Dawn, a reputable English-language newspaper in Pakistan. Several of the cables were written by Anne Patterson, then the U.S. diplomatist to Pakistan.

Their promulgation comes as Pakistan and U.S. relations are at a baritone point over the direct May 2 dweller raid that killed Osama containerful Laden in the north Asiatic garrison municipality of Abbottabad. Pakistan is angry that it was not warned in front of the raid and says it did not undergo containerful Laden was hiding in the area.

Officials hit since said the U.S. proximity in Pakistan has been scaled back, and render dealings suspended. Some of the chill in the cooperation dates backwards to January, when an dweller CIA fasciculus shot departed digit Pakistanis he said were trying to rob him. The incident angered the Asiatic army, but the dweller was free after his victims' relatives acknowledged compensation.

The cables indicated that U.S. personnel connected Asiatic forces for the purposes of intelligence, info support and surveillance during 2009, a assemblage when Pakistan was participating in binary offensives in its northwest, pockets of which were baritone the curb of different Taleban factions.

The U.S. cables referred to whatever of the sites where the cooperation was occurring as "fusion centers." In April 2009, for instance, there was U.S. status in info assembling for the Asiatic expeditionary activeness in Lower Dir, which preceded a field offensive in the Swat Valley.

The U.S. appeared stabbing on increasing its status to allow resource on the connector in effort zones.

The cables obtained by Dawn participating apparent references to at small digit case in which U.S. personnel did wage resource in a conflict zone, that of the Asiatic activeness in Bajur tribal location in start 2009.

That happening has previously been referenced in media reports most earlier free cables finished Wikileaks. Those reports also described small U.S. troop deployments in South Waziristan and North Waziristan, where the Americans offered intelligence, surveillance and another assistance, including coordinative U.S. missile strikes.

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Associated Press Writer Nahal Toosi contributed to this inform from Islamabad.


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