Another US fuel truck attacked
Iran has blocked thousands of fuel trucks from crossing into Afghanistan as its initial reprisal for US fuel sanctions and the US-Israeli partnership reported by the US media in planting the Stuxnet virus in its nuclear production systems, DEBKAfile's military and intelligence sources report. More Iranian retribution is ahead.
In the last week of December, Iran began its blockade by stalling some 2,500 trucks on the border. Since roughly one-third of Afghanistan's gasoline and diesel consumption comes from Iran, the blockade has sent prices soaring by up to 70 percent.
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US and NATO forces in Afghanistan which have been relying on the Iranian fuel shipped to Afghanistan have been forced to look for other sources of supply.
Our military sources report that the fuel shortage caused by the Iranian blockade and insurgent attacks on fuel convoys coming in from Pakistan are beginning to show their mark on the US-led war effort, slowing it down and diverting NATO to covering the Afghan population's heating needs in a particularly harsh winter. The average Afghan cannot find enough heating oil and when he does, he can't afford to pay for it.
Stormy anti-Iranian protest rallies have taken place in Kabul and Herat near the Iranian border. Tuesday, Afghan businessmen, urged by President Hamid Karzai and American commanders, declared a boycott on business with neighboring Iran until the thousands of fuel trucks are allowed to cross.
The boycott resolution by the Afghan Chamber of Commerce is mostly symbolic since it is unlikely the eastern Afghans whose livelihood depends on trade with Iran will hold out for long.
another report (below):
another report (below):
Published: Jan. 18, 2011 at 1:59 AM
KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Afghans, reacting to the six-week long fuel blockade by neighboring Iran, are taking to the streets as gasoline and heating fuel prices soar, officials said.
On the second day of protests Sunday, Afghans threw eggs and stones on the Iranian consulate in the border city of Heart, The Washington Post reported.
Gasoline and heating fuel prices in Afghanistan have risen as much as 60 percent since Iran blocked fuel tankers passing through its territory, stranding 2,000 fuel trucks at the border. Afghan Commerce Minister Anwar ul-Haq Ahady, in the first such public criticism, said his government was "not happy" with Iran, the Post said.
Iranian media quoted officials as saying say the action was taken as the government suspected the fuel was ending up with NATO forces in Afghanistan, a charge NATO officials in Afghanistan denied.
Ahady said about 2,400 tons of fuel a day, much of it from Iraq, had been coming into Afghanistan through Iran until December. Those supplies were meeting about half of Afghanistan's fuel needs.
The minister said immediate relief measures called for importing 200,000 tons of fuel through other routes.
Iran has long been a sanctuary for Afghan refugees during conflicts, while Afghanistan's rivers have been a steady source of water to Iran, the report said. Iran has given financial support to Kabul.
The blockade comes at a time when many Afghans say they suspect Tehran wants to weaken their country, undermine its alliance with the West and increase the number of Shiite Muslims in their country, which is mostly Sunni, the report said.
On the second day of protests Sunday, Afghans threw eggs and stones on the Iranian consulate in the border city of Heart, The Washington Post reported.
Gasoline and heating fuel prices in Afghanistan have risen as much as 60 percent since Iran blocked fuel tankers passing through its territory, stranding 2,000 fuel trucks at the border. Afghan Commerce Minister Anwar ul-Haq Ahady, in the first such public criticism, said his government was "not happy" with Iran, the Post said.
Iranian media quoted officials as saying say the action was taken as the government suspected the fuel was ending up with NATO forces in Afghanistan, a charge NATO officials in Afghanistan denied.
Ahady said about 2,400 tons of fuel a day, much of it from Iraq, had been coming into Afghanistan through Iran until December. Those supplies were meeting about half of Afghanistan's fuel needs.
The minister said immediate relief measures called for importing 200,000 tons of fuel through other routes.
Iran has long been a sanctuary for Afghan refugees during conflicts, while Afghanistan's rivers have been a steady source of water to Iran, the report said. Iran has given financial support to Kabul.
The blockade comes at a time when many Afghans say they suspect Tehran wants to weaken their country, undermine its alliance with the West and increase the number of Shiite Muslims in their country, which is mostly Sunni, the report said.
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Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/01/18/Afghans-irate-over-fuel-blockade/UPI-34001295333943/#ixzz1BOI9aOHp
