Militants disrupt Afghan supplies

Militants have frequently attacked convoys on the route

A militant attack on Monday forced the temporary closure of the Khyber Pass to convoys supplying foreign troops in Afghanistan, officials said.

The pass was closed after the attack on a military camp, which killed one soldier, but was later reopened.

The number of attacks on convoys by insurgents has increased and the pass has been closed several times before.

Last December, Pakistani security forces attempted to clear militants from the route.

Arrests

The pass is a major supply route for US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, which receive up to 75% of their supplies via Pakistan.

A government official in the region said militants attacked a military camp with rocket-propelled grenades.

Zar Bacha Khan told Reuters news agency the route had been reopened after 10 men had been arrested.

"The road is open. We have lifted the curfew but our operation against the militants is still going on," he said.

There has been an increasing number of hijackings in the Khyber region, primarily of trucks and cargo bound for Afghanistan.

In December the government barred the movement of convoys on the pass for nearly a week after militants hijacked and looted 12 trucks and two Humvee armoured vehicles.

Military officials are reported to be looking for alternative routes.

Most of the supplies for the foreign forces in Afghanistan are shipped into the Pakistani port of Karachi, then driven across the border either at Chaman, in Balochistan, or through the Khyber Pass.