Pakistan reopens supply route to US, NATO troops in Afghanistan

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Pakistan has reopened the main supply route for US and NATO troops in Afghanistan after blocking it for three days during an operation against militants blamed for repeated attacks on convoys in the Khyber Pass, an official said on Friday. Authorities said the operation was a success, but a similar offensive in June failed to curtail attacks and was followed by a controversial peace deal with tribal elders in the northwest Khyber region that US officials said allowed militants to regroup. The US plans to deploy up to 30,000 additional troops to landlocked Afghanistan next year, further increasing the importance of secure supply routes through Pakistan, which deliver up to 75 percent of the fuel, food and other goods used by Western forces.