Nato troops start equipment withdrawal from Afghanistan

Published May 22, 2013
A man walks past a trailer carrying Nato military equipment bound for Karachi, following their arrival from Afghanistan, in Quetta on May 21, 2013. – AFP Photo
A man walks past a trailer carrying Nato military equipment bound for Karachi, following their arrival from Afghanistan, in Quetta on May 21, 2013. – AFP Photo

QUETTA: The Nato and US troops have started withdrawal of their equipments from Afghanistan after more than ten years of war.

The US and its allies invaded Afghanistan to oust Taliban government in the aftermath of tragic incident of September 11, 2001. They are set to withdraw all their forces by the end of 2014.

Pakistan is a key transit route for the Nato mission in landlocked Afghanistan, from where it is driven to the border from the Arabian Sea port of Karachi.

First convoy carrying weapons, armoured vehicles and trucks reached Quetta, the capital of Balochistan amid tight security on Tuesday evening.

Sources in frontier corps told Dawn.com that 50 trucks and armoured vehicles reached Quetta from Kandahar, the Taliban’s previous spiritual headquarter amid strict security measures.

They said levies and FC personnel guard the Nato convoy from Pak-Afghan border to Quetta. The convoy would leave for Port Qasim Karachi on Wednesday.

“Withdrawal of weapons and other equipments would continue in the coming days,” they said. Sources said security in and around Chaman, Pakistan’s bordering town with Afghanistan, was tightened following shifting of equipments.

Militants have attacked Nato supplies in different parts of Balochistan in the past.

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