10 Oct 2010

Khyber Pass to be reopened

12:03 pm on 10 October 2010

Pakistan is to reopen Khyber Pass to NATO forces in Afghanistan with immediate effect.

The route at Torkham was closed 10 days ago in protest at a NATO helicopter attack inside Pakistan, which left two Pakistani soldiers dead.

Since then, the Pakistani Taliban have stepped up attacks on convoys with NATO supplies bound for Afghanistan.

In a short statement issued on Saturday, the Pakistani foreign ministry said it had decided to reopen the Khyber Pass crossing after assessing the security situation in all its aspects".

Earlier on Saturday, a tanker convoy was attacked in Mithri, about 200km east of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.

Almost 30 fuel tankers were destroyed.