2 NATO tankers torched in Pakistan, 3 attackers shot dead

Islamabad: Two NATO oil tankers were on Monday set ablaze in Pakistan`s restive Balochistan province by unidentified persons, three of whom were shot dead by paramilitary personnel during a search operation. A driver was seriously injured in the attack in Sibi district, Frontier Corps spokesman Khan Wasey said. Security forces conducted a search operation after the attack and killed three suspects during an exchange of fire, he said. One of the suspected attackers was arrested in an injured condition and taken to an undisclosed location, Wasey was quoted as saying by Dawn. The men torched two tankers, carrying fuel for US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, at Bala Nari, 125 km from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan. "The suspects also opened fire at the Frontier Corps during the operation...The dead are yet to be identified," Wasey said.

The attack came three days after a US drone strike killed Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, prompting demands from opposition parties to close NATO supply lines.