NATO's combat material sold to Pak militants

Islamabad: Combat materials, including sophisticated communication devices and heavy duty generators, meant for NATO troops were stolen by transporters and sold to militants in Pakistan, a media report said on Sunday.

A godown of stolen items of NATO forces, including combat material, was unearthed in Islamabad's rural area of Tarnol during a police raid on Saturday night. Four were arrested in the operation.

Pakistani newspaper Dawn said quoting police sources that the dealer of the stolen supplies of NATO sold the items to individuals and a large quantity of them were purchased by militants.

The Saturday raid was carried on the basis of a tip off from four persons who were arrested on Friday when another godown of NATO items were seized from the same locality.

The seized items include sophisticated equipment used during combat, communication systems, wireless sets, heavy-duty generators, mountain divers kits, stretchers, water bags, shoes and gloves.

Besides, vehicles such as four-wheel DG-5 and six-wheel DG-3 used as armed personnel carriers and accessories of helicopters were also seized during the raid.

According to a senior police officer, out of the four persons arrested on Friday, two were buyers and the two others owned the godown. The buyers had come from Landi Kotal to purchase generators and some other goods.

The godown owners told police that the transporters of NATO supplies unload the goods at their doorstep and any locality as convenient to them.

"Normally the transporters stole some items from the supplies and sometimes they unload the entire containers," the officer quoted the accused as saying.

"Whenever, the entire container was stolen for them, the transporters set them on fire on the pretext of Taliban's attack," he was quoted as saying.

The officer was also told during questioning that there were more godowns in Islamabad and other cities where huge quantity of stolen items of NATO supplies were kept. He said the transporters get handsome amount for stealing the goods from the supplies.