Gunmen torch 19 NATO oil tankers in southwestern Pakistan

Gunmen torch 19 NATO oil tankers in southwestern Pakistan

2011-08-22 23:28:08 GMT+7 (ICT)

QUETTA, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- A group of gunmen on Monday attacked and torched 19 oil tankers belonging to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), security officials said.

The attack was carried out by a group of unidentified gunmen on motorcycles near the Dasht area of Balochistan, the country's largest province which borders Iran to the west and Afghanistan to the north. There were no reports of casualties.

According to reports, the gunmen opened fire close to a police check post on the National Highway where about 40 NATO oil tankers were parked near a fuel station about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the provincial capital of Quetta. The attack caused 19 of the tankers to catch fire.

Foreign troops in Afghanistan commonly receive supplies and equipment through Pakistan, and Taliban and al-Qaeda attacks against NATO trucks and tankers are not uncommon. On Saturday, another attack torched another five tankers on the National Highway in Dasht tehsil of Mastung district.

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