File photo shows a NATO supply oil tanker attacked by gunmen in Pakistan.
At least nine NATO tankers carrying fuel for US-led foreign forces in Afghanistan have been destroyed after a blast caused a massive fire in southwestern Pakistan, officials say.
The incident occurred late Sunday in the town of Hub in the province of Baluchistan, some 45 kilometers (30 miles) from the port city of Karachi where the tankers were loaded with oil before heading off to Afghanistan.
œFirst a blast took place and then more than nine NATO oil tankers caught fire. We are investigating the cause of the blast,” Ahmad Nawaz Cheema, a senior police official in the area, said.
According to the authorities, the cause of the explosion is still unknown, but they are investigating the incident in which no one was hurt.
On Friday, a convoy of NATO oil tankers came under attack in southwest Pakistan. A driver was killed and eight vehicles were torched in the assault by gunmen.
Overland oil shipments to the US-led forces in Afghanistan restarted through Pakistan less than two weeks ago under tighter security following five months of suspension due to frequent militant attacks.
Hundreds of NATO tankers and containers have been destroyed in different parts of Pakistan over the past few years.
Pro-Taliban militants often claim responsibility for such attacks, saying that the assaults are in retaliation for the US killer drone strikes on Pakistan™s tribal regions.
Despite frequent attacks on NATO supply convoys, the US military has not stopped its drone attacks on the Pakistani territory.
Washington claims the airstrikes target militants. However, figures show the attacks have led to the deaths of hundreds of civilians in Pakistan since 2008.
MR/HN/AS
Copyright: Press TV