Militants Attack NATO Oil Tankers in Pakistan

Militants in Pakistan attacked tanker trucks carrying oil for North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops in Afghanistan early on Monday, intensifying a series of attacks on supply convoys.

The unconfirmed reports in Pakistan said as many as 20 tankers were set on fire at a depot near Islamabad. Other reports said that at least six people, and perhaps more, were killed.

Pakistani police, appearing on television, said that as many as a dozen men burst into a depot from two directions, firing automatic weapons indiscriminately.

A Pentagon official confirmed the latest attack but was unable to provide any details on the strike. Reports from Pakistan varied as to how many tankers were hit and how many people were killed in the attacks.

The attack on tankers was at least the second such strike in recent days. On Friday, 27 NATO supply trucks were set on fire in Sindh province in southern Pakistan. Taliban militants in Pakistan claimed responsibility.

The attacks have come as tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan have risen. The Central Intelligence Agency has stepped up its undeclared war in the tribal regions. U.S. military officials have said it is increasingly important to disrupt the Pakistani safe havens used by militants to mount attacks against NATO troops in Afghanistan.

NATO forces have also engaged in a series of cross-border attacks in recent days, responding to what they have said are attacks from Pakistan. Those skirmishes prompted Pakistani officials on Thursday to close down the border crossing at Torkham, a key supply line for U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Military officials have played down the closure of the crossing, saying that northern supply routes will ensure that the flow of supplies into Afghanistan won't be seriously impacted, at least not immediately.

Attacks on the supply lines aren't uncommon, but they have done little damage in recent months. Most of those attacks are by criminals who are seeking supplies to resell.

The series of attacks on fuel tankers began on Friday, and appear aimed at disrupting the NATO war effort.