Khyber Action Near End, (Washington Post)…Unattributed, January 2, 2009, Pg. 13
Pakistan will reopen the main supply route for Western forces in Afghanistan in the next few days after security forces achieved most of their objectives in an offensive, a Pakistani official said Thursday.
Authorities suspended the shipment of supplies through the Khyber Pass to the Afghan border on Tuesday to clear the way for the military to launch an offensive aimed at ending surging attacks on the route.
“We have achieved more than 80 percent of objectives, and from tomorrow the curfew will be relaxed, while the main road will be opened in the next two to three days,” Tariq Hayat Khan, the top government administrator in Khyber, told reporters.
The U.S. military sends 75 percent of supplies for the Afghan war through or over Pakistan, including 40 percent of the fuel for its troops, the Pentagon says.
Insurgents in Khyber have been trying to choke off supplies for months and have destroyed hundreds of trucks and killed several drivers.
Khan said 15 people wanted by the government were captured or had surrendered, while 37 hideouts had been destroyed.
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