Afghan war not hurt by supply route woes: NATO

KABUL: Pakistan’s closure of a key supply line for NATO-led troops fighting in Afghanistan, and militant attacks on tankers on a second route are not hurting the military effort in Afghanistan, a NATO spokesman said on Thursday.

Brigadier-General Josef Blotz, spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said a return to normal operations along both routes could be “closer” after the publication of a joint probe into a cross-border attack by U.S. helicopters that led to the border closure.

“The ISAF operations here within Afghanistan, are not impeded at all by these incidents,” Blotz said. “We do expect that with the closure of the assessment…we are closer to a resolution of all the problems.” AGENCIES

Afghan bomb kills two NATO soldiers

KABUL: A bomb attack killed two NATO soldiers in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the military said.

The deaths took to 189 the number of international forces killed in Afghanistan this year so far. Two NATO soldiers, one of them British, were killed in separate attacks on Sunday.

In keeping with policy, the NATO-run International Security Assistance Force did not disclose the nationality of the latest fatalities.

Most of the victims have been Americans, with the United States contributing the most troops to the 130,000-strong international force in Afghanistan.

The number of international troops fighting the Taliban-led insurgency is to peak at 150,000 by August as the war intensifies, concentrated on the southern strongholds of Helmand and neighbouring Kandahar provinces.

Operation in SWaziristan, 24 Militants killed : ISPR

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: Security forces killed 24 militants in South Waziristan region during last 24 hours, military said.

The troops have entered in militants’ base headquarter Makeen and strengthened their positions at Jindola-Sararogha axis, a military spokesman said on Friday.

The forces have declared several areas at Shakai-Tannigram axis clear after search operation. The troops have found large quantity of arms and ammunition from the region.

Security forces have entered at militants base headquarter at Razmik-Makeen axis and recovered large patch of the territory from the militants.

The forces have also demolished the house of Baitullah Mehsud in the region.

The troops fighting with the militants in Makeen and 21 militants have been killed in the fighting, reports said.

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Operation in SWaziristan, 24 Militants killed : ISPR was first posted on November 6, 2009 at 5:20 pm.