(AKI) - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Shaukat Afridi, who supplies oil to NATO forces in Afghanistan, was abducted in the Pakistani city of Karachi on Friday by armed men believed to be linked to an al-Qaeda cell. Shaukat, originally a Pashtun from the Khyber Agency, was kidnapped after he left his home in an exclusive residential neighborhood, headed for his office situated in Clifton, a district in the southern port city.Taj Muhammad Afridi, brother of Shaukat Afridi told Adnkronos International (AKI) that armed men detained his brother as he was getting out of his car. Police suspect the possible involvement of a local al-Qaeda cell in the abduction which they believe is part of a strategy to choke NATOÂ’s supply line to Afghanistan.
NATO oil supplies come through the port of Karachi and are transported through the Khyber Agency in the North West Frontier Province across the Afghan border and then transferred to Kabul.
The Taliban initially set up their hide outs in the Khyber Agency and successfully blocked NATO' supply lines. But Pakistani security forces then began using a pro-Taliban local tribal leader Haji Namdar who helped them to wipe out the Taliban in the area.
Last week, a suicide attacker tried to kill Haji Namdar near Peshawar when he was collecting funds for the Taliban. Haji Namdar survived but another 10 people were killed.
| I think that means Mr. Namdar is less kindly disposed towards the Talibunnies than he was before ... |