Tonnes of supplies bound for NATO forces in Afghanistan are piling up at the Pakistani port of Karachi following the blockade imposed after a deadly air strike in November, officials said Monday.
Thousands of trucks and military vehicles are stuck at the port, as relations between Washington and Islamabad flounder following the border incident that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
“At present, a total of 3,676 military vehicles and 1,732 containers belonging to NATO forces are at the port,” a port official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The deadly incident heightened tensions in an already fragile relationship, with Islamabad cutting off key NATO supply routes to Afghanistan and Pakistani officials alleging deliberate US targeting of their troops at border posts.
A NATO investigation into the November 26 strike on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border concluded that both the international alliance and Pakistani forces made mistakes in the incident — findings rejected by Pakistan.
The latest arrival of supplies was recorded on Saturday when the US vessel Freedom berthed in Karachi carrying 268 vehicles and 132 containers.
