US halts army shipments out of Afghanistan

Kabul. The United States has suspended shipments of equipment out of Afghanistan through Pakistan due to protests against US drone strikes that posed a risk to truck drivers. Pentagon issued a statement on Tuesday, saying Washington decided to stop cargo shipments voluntarily from Torkham Gate through Karachi that the US and NATO troops used for withdrawing from Afghanistan as part of the pullout set to wrap up by the end of 2014.“We anticipate that we will be able to resume our shipments through this route in the near future,” said Mark Wright, Pentagon spokesman, in a statement. The trucks have been told to wait for now in holding areas in Afghanistan, Wright said.“The companies that we contract with were getting nervous, And it’s getting a little too dangerous for the truck drivers,” the defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP news agency.The US has alternative routes available to the north through Central Asia, but those options take longer and are more expensive.The delay in removing the equipment was just the latest hitch in a deeply troubled relationship between Pakistan and the US due to CIA drone missile attacks in the country that have been blamed for civilian deaths and sparked public outrage.US officials said the strikes by unmanned aircraft have taken out dangerous al-Qaeda fighters.