Pakistani truckers refuse to haul NATO supplies

[Praxius]

CTV.ca | Pakistani truckers refuse to haul NATO supplies

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Pakistani truckers are refusing to haul vital supplies to NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan because of mounting attacks along the main route, a transporters association said Monday.


Pakistani troops recently began escorting convoys through the Khyber Pass to the border to protect them from Taliban ambushes. Western military officials insist their Afghan operations are not at risk.


However, suspected militants have pulled off a series of bold raids on depots near the city of Peshawar in recent weeks, killing several guards and burning hundreds of vehicles, including scores of Humvees.


Shakirullah Afridi, the president of the Khyber Transport Union, said Monday its members had been using some 3,500 trucks and trailers to carry fuel, food and other supplies to Afghanistan.


He said all were boycotting work carrying military supplies -- and that no offer of improved terms and security would persuade them to risk their lives or equipment again.


"If all the countries of NATO cannot control the situation in Afghanistan, how can escorts from the Frontier Corps ensure our safety?" Afridi said, referring to the paramilitary force that guard the convoys.


Kifayatullah Khan, the manager of the Port World Terminal, where a guard was shot dead during a recent attack, confirmed a shortage of trucks but said he was trying to persuade the transport firms to return.


A spokesman for the NATO-led force in Afghanistan played down the boycott threat and said it did not deal with Afridi's association.


"If suddenly 70 percent of our stuff isn't reaching us, we'd know about it, and that's not the case," Lt. Cmdr. James Gater said. "There is no indication to us that there is a disruption to our supply lines at this stage."


Bakhtiar Khan, a government official in the Khyber region, said a convoy of 191 vehicles carrying military supplies crossed into Afghanistan on Monday.


Up to 75 percent of the supplies for Western forces in the landlocked country pass through Pakistan after being unloaded from ships at the Arabian sea port of Karachi.


Most of the material passes through Peshawar, which lies on the edge of Pakistan's lawless tribal regions where Taliban militants hold increasing sway and Osama bin Laden and other top al-Qaida leaders are believed to be hiding.


NATO says it is investigating alternative supply routes through Central Asian nations to reach its forces, but has acknowledged that they are more expensive.


The U.S. military plans to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan in the coming months.

So which is it? Which side is lying?

 

[Praxius]

Additional Info:

Supply routes through Pakistan are becoming increasingly insecure

Drivers halt Afghan supply route
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Drivers halt Afghan supply route

Lorry drivers in north-west Pakistan say they will no longer deliver supplies to Nato and US-led forces in Afghanistan due to worsening security.


The move follows a spate of hijackings and attacks on their vehicles by Taleban militants.

At least 75% of overland supplies to foreign forces in Afghanistan travels through North-West Frontier Province.

The supplies are critical for troops in an increasingly drawn-out campaign against Taleban insurgents.

Setback
A convoy of trucks left the city of Peshawar carrying equipment for Nato and coalition forces early on Monday morning.


Escorted by dozens of paramilitary troops, drivers say it will be the last such supply convoy for now.

This is due to a decision by the local transport association to cease such operations.

Since September 2008, the Taleban in Pakistan have targeted vehicles carrying supplies for foreign forces in Afghanistan.

They have hijacked lorries, stolen their cargo and kidnapped their drivers.

Shakir Afridi, president of the Khyber Transport Association, said the dire security situation made it impossible to continue.

"This time our vehicles are with the convoy because they were already laden with goods," he said.

"But because of the increase in the number of attacks by the Taleban, we will not be a part of any convoy to supply goods to coalition forces from now on."

"The government must bring the situation under control before we continue."

Mr Afridi said that transport companies would review their decision if the government was able to regain control of the route to the Afghan border.
The decision is likely to be a blow to Nato and coalition forces who currently rely on shipments from Pakistan, but who are urgently looking for alternative supply routes.

Well I guess neither is lying, since the truckers claimed this will be the last shipment, and the spokesman for NATO said there was no disruption to their supply lines at this time...... but mentioned nothing about the next time they need a shipment.

So that sounds to me that unless NATO or the US can figure out another way of getting supplies, it looks like eventually the Taliban will simply win. A military needs supplies afterall in order to keep a fight going, and when you have the Taliban attacking your supply routes and taking your weapons and equipment, that's a bit counter productive in my books.

 

[Scott Free]

In Iraq it is routine for such supply trucks to run children down as they are not allowed to stop or swerve for anything. Such truck drivers are best brought in from other countries as, it would seem, people are less adverse to running over children that don't look like their own. I can't help but wonder if this isn't part of the problem.

The USA has quite a robust trade in slaves going on as they seek cheap labour from around the world for Iraq. Perhaps they should "trick" some people from Indonesia (for example) into going to Afghanistan, whereupon the USA can take their passports and make them drive anywhere and anyway they wish?

 

[Tyr]

In Iraq it is routine for such supply trucks to run children down as they are not allowed to stop or swerve for anything. Such truck drivers are best brought in from other countries as, it would seem, people are less adverse to running over children that don't look like their own. I can't help but wonder if this isn't part of the problem.

The USA has quite a robust trade in slaves going on as they seek cheap labour from around the world for Iraq. Perhaps they should "trick" some people from Indonesia (for example) into going to Afghanistan, whereupon the USA can take their passports and make them drive anywhere and anyway they wish?

the headline probably should have read " Pakistani truckers steal NATO supplies"

The tribal areas and the Pakistani military have been duping the US since the invaded Afghanistan.

Every so often the Pakistani military will go out to Peshwar, shoot up a few empty buildings and then laud their accomplishments over the "terrorists"

Are the "terrorists" still there? Of course.

Without the military support given to the Pakistani's by the US, their gov't would have collapsed and they would have had a civil war with the end result being an Islamic Republic.

The only people better than the Pakistani's at defrauding the US are the US "contractors" in Iraq and Afghanistan. KBR has pocketed billions for doing absolutely nothing.

 

[Praxius]

the headline probably should have read " Pakistani truckers steal NATO supplies"

The tribal areas and the Pakistani military have been duping the US since the invaded Afghanistan.

Every so often the Pakistani military will go out to Peshwar, shoot up a few empty buildings and then laud their accomplishments over the "terrorists"

Are the "terrorists" still there? Of course.

Without the military support given to the Pakistani's by the US, their gov't would have collapsed and they would have had a civil war with the end result being an Islamic Republic.

The only people better than the Pakistani's at defrauding the US are the US "contractors" in Iraq and Afghanistan. KBR has pocketed billions for doing absolutely nothing.

I know there was plenty of evidence in regards to the old president, Mushbrains, of taking a lot of money and doing nothing in return, and did you ever notice their giant masses of taliban that's try and gun it out with NATO forces during that time? They had lots of men and lots of equipment to even fathom attacks like that..... they were short changed and dessimated.

But they haven't been pulling those kinds of attacks anymore because perhaps they're no longer getting funding and support from Mushforbrains.

And when Mushforbrains left his position of power, did you perhaps notice that more attacks by terrorists stepped up in Pakistan?

That's probably got something to do with them no longer getting money from Mushforbrains.

And during Mush's rule, he never once decided to go into the tribal areas to fish out the taliban..... yet this new government is.

Is any of this adding up to you? You should try and keep up with the newest information out there, because although I would have normally agreed with what you claimed above, times and information (as well as governments) change, and they have been taking the fight to the taliban for the last couple of months..... and all the while they have been doing this, and doing what everybody has been wanting them to do, the US, and people like you, keep thinking they're doing nothing, and the US continues with their air strikes in another soverign nation.... an ally at that, regardless of what you think. Technically, they are our allies until their actions prove or it is officially stated otherwise.

 

[Scott Free]

Oh common! Give me a break!

If things go missing and money stolen, over a long term, it is because of a back door deal of some kind; it is a pay off that the military or government would rather not admit.

We'll never figure anything out if we can't even get the basics right ;-)

 

[Tyr]

I know there was plenty of evidence in regards to the old president, Mushbrains, of taking a lot of money and doing nothing in return, and did you ever notice their giant masses of taliban that's try and gun it out with NATO forces during that time? They had lots of men and lots of equipment to even fathom attacks like that..... they were short changed and dessimated.

But they haven't been pulling those kinds of attacks anymore because perhaps they're no longer getting funding and support from Mushforbrains.

And when Mushforbrains left his position of power, did you perhaps notice that more attacks by terrorists stepped up in Pakistan?

That's probably got something to do with them no longer getting money from Mushforbrains.

And during Mush's rule, he never once decided to go into the tribal areas to fish out the taliban..... yet this new government is.

Is any of this adding up to you? You should try and keep up with the newest information out there, because although I would have normally agreed with what you claimed above, times and information (as well as governments) change, and they have been taking the fight to the taliban for the last couple of months..... and all the while they have been doing this, and doing what everybody has been wanting them to do, the US, and people like you, keep thinking they're doing nothing, and the US continues with their air strikes in another soverign nation.... an ally at that, regardless of what you think. Technically, they are our allies until their actions prove or it is officially stated otherwise.

uh... no

Is any of this adding up to you? You should try and keep up with the newest information out there, because although I would have normally agreed with what you claimed above, times and information (as well as governments) change, and they have been taking the fight to the taliban for the last couple of months.....

You've been watching far too much of FOX News if you actually believe that. The only difference is that the US have been bombing targets in Pakistan. The Pakistani's have been doing precious little.

They know full well that they would face tremendous opposition within their own country if they dared make a consious effort to root out the Taliban.

Nothing changed except the individual who occupies the seat

 

[Praxius]

Related Update:

Strike won't choke supply of goods to Canadian Forces
CTV.ca | Strike won't choke supply of goods to Canadian Forces

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- A truck drivers' strike that has choked the flow of military supplies to Afghanistan won't affect Canadian troops stationed in the landlocked country, insists the commander of Canada's overseas forces.

Lt.-Gen. Michel Gauthier said the Canadian military does not truck in vital supplies via the treacherous stretch through the Khyber Pass that links Pakistan with Afghanistan.

"We have flexible ways of bringing our supplies in, and there is nothing operational, no operational necessities that flow through Pakistan. So it's not a great concern to us," Gauthier told reporters Tuesday at Kandahar Air Field.

Many supplies bound for foreign troops in Afghanistan arrive at the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi, where they are loaded onto trucks for the journey through the Khyber Pass - the shortest and most economical route into Afghanistan.

The convoys carry food, fuel and other goods, including military vehicles and munitions.

But hijackings and attacks on convoys by Taliban insurgents have become more frequent in recent months.

The militants have targeted hundreds of NATO and US-led coalition vehicles along the 56-kilometre highway between the northwestern Pakistan city of Peshawar and the Khyber Pass.

Fearful Pakistani truck drivers are now refusing to transport critical cargo along that route. They want the security improved before they resume shipments.

Gauthier acknowledged the strike will affect other coalition forces that rely on supplies from Pakistan to battle Taliban insurgents.

"In a greater NATO sense, with the tens of thousands of troops that are here, of course it's a concern," he said.

"And that means working with Pakistan to do everything we can to protect those lines of communication, and at the same time look at alternatives to that, which is what I think NATO will be doing. ...

"I do know that there's concern on both sides of the border and that we are working with Pakistan officials to minimize that disruption."

He joked that supplies for the Tim Hortons coffee shop at Kandahar Air Field are the only critical cargo the Canadian Forces brings in from Pakistan.

 

[Praxius]

You've been watching far too much of FOX News if you actually believe that. The only difference is that the US have been bombing targets in Pakistan. The Pakistani's have been doing precious little.

They know full well that they would face tremendous opposition within their own country if they dared make a consious effort to root out the Taliban.

Nothing changed except the individual who occupies the seat

And there you go with those inacurate assumptions again, as I never watch Fox news..... wtf would I go and do something as stupid as that?

Maybe you need a little education in what's actually going on over there recently:

Pakistan 'crackdown on militants'
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Pakistan 'crackdown on militants'

Pakistan launches anti-Taliban crackdown near Peshawar
Pakistan launches anti-Taliban crackdown near Peshawar | International | Reuters

Pakistan launches anti-Taliban crackdown near Peshawar
Reuters AlertNet - Pakistan launches anti-Taliban crackdown near Peshawar

Pakistanis Flee Military Crackdown On The Taliban
Pakistanis Flee Military Crackdown On The Taliban : NPR

Official: 60 die in Pakistan militant crackdown
Official: 60 die in Pakistan crackdown - Pakistan - msnbc.com

Pakistan Intensifies Crackdown on Extremists in Tribal Areas
VOA News - Pakistan Intensifies Crackdown on Extremists in Tribal Areas

Pakistan launches anti-Taliban crackdown
Pakistan launches anti-Taliban crackdown

^ So either they're all wrong and you're the only one who truly knows what's going on over there, or you don't know what you're talking about.

 

[Tyr]

as I said... they go out, shoot up a couple of empty buildings and return to base. Of the bylines you've quoted. It's best summed up in "60 die..."

More than 50 of the alleged insurgents, along with one soldier, died in clashes since Monday in Kohat region. - Sept 23/08

I had come to expect better data from you than that

 

[Praxius]

as I said... they go out, shoot up a couple of empty buildings and return to base. Of the bylines you've quoted. It's best summed up in "60 die..."

More than 50 of the alleged insurgents, along with one soldier, died in clashes since Monday in Kohat region. - Sept 23/08

I had come to expect better data from you than that

Considering it was a 10 second google search on the subject, I didn't expect it to be all gospel for you.... it was a hint that the information is out there.

Actually, it's in these forums as well:

Pakistan 'kills 1,000 militants'
http://forums.canadiancontent.net/news/77492-pakistan-kills-1-000-militants.html

Pakistani troops have killed 1,000 Islamist militants in a huge offensive in the Bajaur tribal district over the last month, the army says.

And in regards to your comments of them simply heading somewhere, shooting a few holes in some empty buildings, etc...... exactly what makes you think that our own forces (US, NATO/Canadian) arn't doing the exact same thing?

Mmmmmm Hmmmmmm..... I thought so.

Let's see what I can find in just todays news......

Nothing yet, but here's one from yesterday:

Pakistan pledges fight to the death
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Pakistan pledges fight to the death

We were sheltering in a traditional mud-walled compound in in the tribal area of Bajaur on the border with Afghanistan.


His men had seized it from militants the day before, after fierce hand-to-hand fighting.

Bursts of fire still rang out and shell cases smoked underfoot as I explored the network of tunnels connecting these compounds, some stretching for several kilometres underground.

The Taleban and al-Qaeda had dug in here over the years, threatening the local tribes and becoming the effective power in the land.

The Pakistani government in the past has been accused of not being committed to the US-led "war on terror" because offensives turned into truces before the job was finished.

But now the new civilian government led by President Asif Ali Zardari - whose wife, Benazir Bhutto, was killed by extremists a year ago - has declared that this time it is a fight to the death.
"If they do not lay down their arms, we will kill them," declared Gen Khan. "There is no other way to bring this to a close......."

There are reporters on the ground and seeing what's happening over there, there is evidence and reports claiming they are doing as they say they are doing.

You're clearly running out of options for a defense against this.

I agree with you that for years Pakistan did jack squat under the rule of President Mushbrains..... the situation however, is now different.

 

[Tyr]

Considering it was a 10 second google search on the subject, I didn't expect it to be all gospel for you.... it was a hint that the information is out there.

Actually, it's in these forums as well:

Pakistan 'kills 1,000 militants'
http://forums.canadiancontent.net/news/77492-pakistan-kills-1-000-militants.html

[/color]

And in regards to your comments of them simply heading somewhere, shooting a few holes in some empty buildings, etc...... exactly what makes you think that our own forces (US, NATO/Canadian) arn't doing the exact same thing?

Mmmmmm Hmmmmmm..... I thought so.

Let's see what I can find in just todays news......

Nothing yet, but here's one from yesterday:

Pakistan pledges fight to the death
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Pakistan pledges fight to the death



There are reporters on the ground and seeing what's happening over there, there is evidence and reports claiming they are doing as they say they are doing.

You're clearly running out of options for a defense against this.

I agree with you that for years Pakistan did jack squat under the rule of President Mushbrains..... the situation however, is now different.

Pakistani troops have killed 1,000 Islamist militants in a huge offensive in the Bajaur tribal district over the last month, the army says.

uh huh. an the Taliban say.... 22. Who can I believe the Taliban or the Pakistani army. The Taliban have nothing to lose. The Pakistani Army...billions in US miltary aid

The truth of the matter is that ther US is putting pressure on Pakistan to DO SOMETHING... ANYTHING!

You can drag up as many biased and quasi factual stories as you want, but they are just some much verbiage.

Has the situatiion changed??? No.

Keep looking. I'n sure you'll find some obscure little tidbit from highly reputable sources.....

like the Pakistani army8O

 

[Praxius]

Well I suppose when something doesn't go along with what you think is the truth, it simply has to be biased.

Yes..... all of those various web sites and news sources, including the BBC and the sort, are all biased and against your perspective...... that must be it.

They've all been reporting on how little Pakistan has been doing so far, they have been covering all the missing money and funding, they covered how the Taliban somehow kept getting stronger under Mushbrains' rule...... and now suddenly all the media sources are just going to suck Pakistan's arse in everything they say?

If there was no evidence/proof of their actions, then that would be claimed.

Then again, there's no proof of anything our troops are doing over there.

You know, maybe all that's going on over there is one big show for us back home. Maybe the NATO/US forces are all there with the Taliban, Afghan Army, Pakistan and Russia..... and Russia is heading the game of Russian Roulette and they're all just taking turns playing.... and all the bodies that we hear of coming back home are the losers of the game, and they just make up a big story of being blown up by IED's or ambushes.

Yes, maybe that's it.