TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An armed group opened fire at a convoy loaded with fuel for NATO forces heading towards Afghanistan in northwest Pakistan, killing the driver and injuring two others, according to official reports.
The incident occurred at Jamrud in Khyber, one of the seven semi-autonomous region in Pakistan, which has experienced years of conflict between allied forces and armed rebel groups.
"A convoy of six fuel tanker trucks were headed towards Afghanistan when four assailants on two motorbikes opened fire at the first tanker, killing the driver," said a local official Irshad Khan to AFP.
The truck then overturned, injuring a bystander and a passerby who rushed to the aid of the convoy. The remaining five trucks returned to Peshawar, the capital of Pakhtunkhwa, Khyber, in northwest Pakistan immediately after the attack.
Another local official, Mehtab Khan, confirmed the incident and the number of casualties.
The NATO supply convoy, which was stocked with supplies ranging from ammunitions, food and fuels, often came under attack en route from the Pakistan's major port city - Karachi - to the borders.
Allied forces are gradually pulling out from Afghanistan - however, around 44.000 thousand remain within the Afghani border.
Last week, another armed group in Pakistan's northwest attacked another NATO fuel tanker heading towards Afghanistan at the village of Sor Kamar in Khyber - 25 kilometres from Peshawar - also killing the driver and injuring two others.
"The assailants were armed with light weapons and machine guns," said Khan Dad, a local official in Khyber to AFP. Another official said that the assailants rode on motorcycles.
"At first, they opened fire at three fuel tankers, and then threw a molotov cocktail - killing the driver and injuring two others," said the official which asked to remain anonymous to the media.
Three tankers were completely burnt as a result of the incident.
Previously, the driver of yet another fuel tanker and his assistant died in a similar attack upon returning into Pakistan, said the official.
ANTARANEWS
