Pakistan Unrest Prompts Pentagon To Mull Alternate Supply Routes
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
The military is making backup plans in case the unrest in Pakistan begins to affect the flow of supplies to American troops fighting in Afghanistan, the Defense Department said yesterday.
The Pentagon’s press secretary, Geoff Morrell, said the supply lines are “very real areas of concern” because about 75% of the supplies, including 40% of vehicle fuel supplies, either go through or over Pakistan.
“We hope it doesn’t come to this,” Mr. Morrell told reporters. “Right now we’ve seen no indications that any of our supply lines have been impacted.”
America has about 25,000 troops in Afghanistan. Some of their supplies arrive by air from Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan. A former supply line from Uzbekistan was shut down in 2005 when the Uzbek government retaliated against Washington for what it viewed as interference in its internal affairs.
President Musharraf of Pakistan declared a state of emergency in early November and suspended the country’s constitution. Since then, America has urged General Musharraf to restore democratic rule and hold elections.
