An oil tanker for US and NATO troops in Afghanistan was set on fire by suspected Islamist militants in Pakistan's restive north-western region Monday, reports quoting police said.
Troops returned fire to repel militant attack on the outskirts of Peshawar, the capital of the North-West Frontier Province.
The troops managed to arrest two of the attackers, while the rest of them fled after an hour-long exchange of fire.
Militants frequently launch raids on vehicles passing through Peshawar and the adjoining Khyber Pass, a key fuel and military supply route for Western forces battling the Taliban in landlocked Afghanistan.
More than 400 trucks and containers have been torched or plundered over the last four months in the restless tribal district along the Afghan border, forcing the U.S. and its NATO allies to look for alternative supply routes through Central Asian states.
It is believed that many senior Taliban leaders have crossed into Pakistan following the launch of the ongoing military offensive, Operation Mushtarak, in the Afghan province of Helmand.
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