Pakistan reopens Afghan border for NATO supplies

Monday, October 11, 2010
By Ibrahim Shinwari

LANDIKOTAL, Pakistan |
Sun Oct 10, 2010 12:35pm EDT


LANDIKOTAL, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani authorities on Sunday reopened a border crossing with Afghanistan, allowing NATO supplies to be trucked to coalition troops, a Pakistani government official said.
Pakistan announced the reopening of the Torkham crossing in the northwest on Saturday, 10 days after its closure, after Washington apologized to Islamabad for a NATO helicopter incursion on Sept 30 that killed two Pakistani soldiers.Shahriyar Khan, a government official at the crossing, told Reuters that more than 150 vehicles parked on the Pakistani side were allowed to cross into Afghanistan."Custom clearance has been done since morning and now vehicles have started going to Afghanistan," he said.Pakistan closed the Torkham route passing through the famous Khyber Pass soon after the NATO raid, citing security reasons.The incursion sparked public anger and militants stepped up attacks on tankers transporting fuel supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan.On Saturday, militants torched 30 NATO tankers in the southwestern Baluchistan province from where the second supply route passes through.The Chaman border crossing in the southwest has remained open.The routes through Pakist!
an bring in 40 percent of supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan, according to the United States Transportation Command. Of the remainder, 40 percent come through Afghanistan's neighbors in the north and 20 percent by air.(Writing by Kamran Haider; Editing by Chris Allbritton)
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