Militants kill seven and destroy more than 50 Nato lorries in bold attack just six miles from Islamabad

Attacks in the north-western Khyber tribal region of Pakistan have forced NATO to look for alternative routes, including through Central Asia

Survivors: Pakistani truckers gather near the burnt out wreckages of NATO supply trucks

Remains: A group of children walks past the charred convoy early this morning. The attack was unprecedented

Gunmen in Pakistan last night torched more than 50 lorries carrying supplies for Western forces in Afghanistan, killing at least seven people.

A group of around 15 militants first opened fire with automatic weapons and grenades before torching the convoy, police said.

The Taliban frequently attack trucks carrying supplies for U.S.-led foreign forces in Pakistan's north-west and south-west bordering Afghanistan, but the attack near Islamabad late on Tuesday was unprecedented.
Those who were killed are believed to be Pakistanis employed as drivers or assistants. Seven people were also wounded in the attack, which took place around 11.35pm local time (6.35pm GMT).


Worn out: A man sleeps near a damaged truck, part of the convoy carrying supplies to foreign forces in Afghanistan

A firefighter sprays water on a burning truck. Those who were killed are believed to be Pakistanis employed as drivers or assistants

Inferno: A convoy of more than 50 Nato military vehicles burns after an attack by militants near Islamabad in Pakistan last night. Seven people were killed in the incident

Police spokesman Ghulam Mustafa said: 'Seven people were killed and more than 50 trucks were set on fire.'

Police said ten to 12 gunmen attacked the trucks, parked at a depot in Tarnol.

'The attack took place around 11.35pm and we are still trying to find out how this attack has happened,. Shah Nawaz, head of Tarnol police station said.

'The attackers walked into the depot and started indiscriminate firing.'

The assault underscores growing insecurity in Pakistan where the Taliban have unleashed a wave of suicide and bomb attacks across the country in retaliation for military offensives on their strongholds in the north-west.

Militants allied to the Pakistani Taliban killed more than 80 people in two brazen attacks on Ahmadiyya, a minority religious sect, in the eastern city of Lahore late last month.
The U.S. military sends 75 per cent of its supplies for the Afghan war through or over Pakistan, including 40 per cent of the fuel for its troops.

The attacks, especially in the north-western Khyber tribal region, have forced NATO to look for alternative routes, including through Central Asia.

U.S. Embassy spokesman Rick Snelsire declined to comment, but said American officials were investigating reports that NATO supplies were involved.

The convoy attacks have added impetus to American efforts to open new supply lines into Afghanistan, but commanders say they have not affected operations there. Guns, bombs and ammunition are not believed to be transported in the trucks, thousands of which make the journey each week.
Late last night, dozens of militants attacked a security convoy in Orakzai, a tribal area near Afghanistan where Pakistan declared the Taliban defeated earlier this month, sparking a battle that killed six soldiers and 40 militants, government administrator Samiullah Khan said.

It was the latest in several cases where the military has declared a region free of militants, only to see more fighting.

Also today, government official Maqsood Khan said militants attacked two security checkpoints in Mohmand, another part of the tribal belt that has endured army operations. The overnight attack sparked gunbattles that killed two soldiers and six insurgents and wounded several from both sides.

Information from the tribal areas is nearly impossible to verify independently because they are remote and dangerous, and access is severely restricted.