New Price Tags on Stranded NATO Supplies
KARACHI, Jan 12, 2012 (IPS) - From a distance, the neatly stacked red, blue and orange containers suggest that business is good at Karachi’s Kemari port.
But these goods are not moving. The port official says the cargo belongs to the U.S. military and is meant for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). These goods "in transit to Afghanistan" have been grounded at the port since Nov. 27 after Pakistan severed the supply line.
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And, after five weeks stuck at border control points at Chaman town bordering Afghanistan, hundreds of trucks laden with precious NATO cargo, and tankers with fuel are heading back to Karachi. They have not been allowed to unload or to head onwards to the Pak-Afghan border. Pakistan seems in no hurry to reopen the route.
U.S. and NATO officials in Afghanistan seem to be getting desperate. While the Northern Distribution Network (NDN) via Russia is an option, any blockage there could mean a significant alteration to NATO operations. It could also mean a possibility of isolation of U.S. forces. Defence analyst Ikram Sehgal says the U.S. and NATO "will fight their way through Pakistan." He believes "it is a matter of days before the routes open."
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106422
The additional carriers in the Indian Ocean are more likely needed to provide air support in Afghanistan and possibly air cover for a fighting retreat through Baluchistan to the Ocean.
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