Peshawar: Pakistan`s Frontier Corps
paramilitary said it had recovered a huge hoard of
military equipment stolen from NATO supply convoys travelling
to Afghanistan.
The stolen goods, which included helicopter spare
parts, equipment to detect landmines, binoculars and personal
belongings, were found in raids on warehouses in Jamrud town
in Pakistan`s northwestern tribal region of Khyber.
"We began raiding different private warehouses late on
Thursday and this operation continued until Sunday," Frontier
Corps spokesman Major Fazal-ur-Rehman told reporters.
"We are making the assessment (about the value of
stolen goods) but the cost must be in millions of rupees. What
I can tell you at the moment is that the equipment was looted
during the last five to six months."
He declined to blame any specific group for the theft,
but said: "One thing is clear -- militants were involved in
these activities.
"We have taken up the matter with local tribesmen and
told them that the owners of these warehouses should
voluntarily surrender to security forces."
Khyber is on the main NATO supply route through
Pakistan into Afghanistan, where 150,000 US and NATO forces
are battling to reverse an escalating Taliban insurgency.
Lashkar-e-Islam, which means Army of Islam, is a
criminal, homegrown Islamist group that has ties to the
Taliban. It has fomented unrest in Khyber and has attacked
NATO supply vehicles travelling through the area.
NATO supplies also travel through the southwestern
province of Baluchistan, which is troubled by Taliban violence
and attacks by separatists who rose up in 2004 demanding
autonomy and a greater share of profits from natural
resources.
PTI
