Taliban plans to dent NATO supplies

Islamabad, Apr 2: In a bid to launch a successful spring offensive against the NATO forces in Afghanistan, the Taliban are eyeing to disrupt supplies of coalition forces via Khyber Agency, say diplomatic sources in Pakistan.

Khyber Agency is the main supply line for US troops and other forces in the anti-terror coalition operating inside Afghanistan. Taliban is learnt to have planned to cause disruption to the area, which they believe would be of great help to them in their spring offensive against the foreign troops, The Nation quoted diplomatic sources as saying citing intelligence sources. They said that the importance of Khyber Agency could be gauged well from the fact that around 80 per cent of NATO supplies run through it up to the Afghanistan's province of Nangarhar and from there to Kabul.

Some major subversive acts had already taken place in Khyber Agency such as blowing up nearly 40 oil tankers that were being used to supply fuel to the coalition forces in Afghanistan, said a source.

He said it was the importance of Khyber Agency that forced the US officials, John Negroponte and Richard Boucher to rush to the tribal region located near Peshawar during their recent visit to Pakistan to hold talks with tribal elders in a bid to win their support for US-led war on terror.

An official here when contacted admitted that the threats of acts of sabotage in Khyber Agency were not misplaced. However, he hastened to add that the new approach of Pakistan's government to tackle the threat of terror through dialogue could lead to a change of mind in the Taliban leadership as for targeting the Khyber Agency.

ANI