KHYBER AGENCY - The driver of a Nato supply truck and his helper were shot dead and another was injured by unknown militants in a firing incident which took place on Pak-Afghan highway here in the Sur Kamr area of tehsil Jamrud, a subdivision of Khyber Agency, official and local sources said on Tuesday.
Jaish-e-Usama, a faction of militants, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they were not bound to follow the ceasefire announced by the Taliban.
Nato supply trucks, bearing registration No 9496 and 9351, were on their way to Torkham border from Peshawar to deliver the assignment somewhere in Afghanistan when unknown armed persons intercepted them and opened fire on them. As a result, three crew members of the trailers got wounded, sources said. The injured were rushed to a nearby health centre where two of them succumbed to their injuries while the third was referred to Hayatabad Medical Complex in view of his precarious condition.
Shortly after the incident, the Khasadar Force personnel moved to the site and compelled the militants to flee in cross firing. The deceased were identified as Atiqur Rehman son of Noor Zaman, a resident of Rahim Yar Khan, and Alam Sher s/o Shad Muhammad of Vehari.
The security forces and Khasadars, in a joint search operation in the area, detained 15 suspected persons who were sent to Jamrud lockup for investigation.
It is important to mention here that the Nato supply route via KPK through Khyber Agency remained suspended for almost three months because of the sit-in of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers. The route was restored a few days back after a court verdict which declared the sit-in illegal.
Jaish-e-Usama, a faction of militants, claimed responsibility for the attack. Spokesman for the militant group, Abu Hamza, told media persons from an unknown place on phone that they were not bound to follow any government-TTP ceasefire and attacks on the NATO supply line would continue in future.
AFP adds: “The four containers were on their way to Afghanistan when four gunmen riding two motorbikes opened fire at them in Jamrud, killing two helpers and wounding one driver and one helper,” a senior local administration official, Jehangir Azam Wazir, told AFP.
He said one of the helpers died on the spot while the second one succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
Another local administration official confirmed the incident and said the attackers had fled.
The Pakistani Taliban Saturday declared a month-long ceasefire to encourage the resumption of peace talks with the government in Islamabad.