Pakistan: Militants Seize Convoy of U.S./NATO Military Vehicles

by: Brandon Friedman

Tue Nov 11, 2008 at 19:59:35 PM EST

You know things are going poorly when photos like this start showing up:

(AP photo)

Those are Taliban militants in Pakistan with one of their brand new armored humvees that they stole after ambushing a convoy of supplies headed for U.S.-led forces across the border in Afghanistan.

From the AP:

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Suspected Taliban fighters hijacked trucks carrying Humvees and other supplies for U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan, authorities said Tuesday after a brazen attack near the Khyber Pass that underscored the militants’ grip across key mountain strongholds.The assault highlighted the vulnerability of a vital supply route for the 65,000 U.S. and NATO forces battling a resurgent Taliban in landlocked Afghanistan. A significant amount of supplies for the Western forces go through Pakistan.

Attacks on convoys carrying food, fuel and other supplies are common on the road. But Monday’s raid was especially large and well-organized. It also could further strain U.S.-Pakistani relations over rooting out Taliban and al-Qaida militants along the border, which remain entrenched despite military offensives and U.S. missile strikes.

Some 60 masked militants blocked the route at several points before overpowering the convoy, said Fazal Mahmood, a government official in Khyber tribal region. He identified the attackers as members of Pakistan’s Taliban movement.