Gunmen destroy Nato oil tankers

It was the latest attack on the supply line for international troops in Afghanistan since Pakistani authorities closed a key border crossing amid a dispute with the United States.

Two police officers were wounded.

Local government official Abdul Mateen said the attack occurred in the area of Mithri, 120 miles east of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province. He said the attackers used guns and fired a rocket to destroy the tankers.

"We are facing problems in extinguishing the fire," he added.

At least ten gunmen were involved in the attack, police official Jamil Khan said. The oil tankers were parked near a roadside restaurant.

When police arrived, the gunmen fired on them before fleeing. One officer was wounded by a bullet, while another suffered burns as he tried to stop the blaze.

Pakistan shut the border in Torkham on 30 September following a Nato helicopter strike that killed two Pakistani border guards.

Since then there have been several attacks on supply convoys, including two in which militants torched 70 fuel tankers and killed a driver.

The Pakistani Taleban have claimed responsibility for previous attacks and have demanded that the government permanently bar Nato and the US from using its soil to transport supplies to Afghanistan.

The US has apologised for the cross-border helicopter strike, but Islamabad has yet to open the border crossing at Torkham. A smaller crossing in the southwest has stayed open.

An Interior Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said that the government has decided it will reopen the Torkham crossing, but has not decided when.

He and another security official indicated that the crossing could reopen as early as tomorrow.