Pakistan Reopens Key Afghan Border Crossing

Clear roads ahead. Pakistan has decided to reopen a key border crossing along the Afghan border, putting an end to their 11-day blockade following a U.S. helicopter strike that killed two Pakistani soldiers, reports the Associated Press. The Torkham crossing is an important passage used by NATO to ship supplies into Afghanistan, and the closing left many stranded fuel tankers vulnerable to attacks by militants. About 150 trucks were destroyed and many drivers and police were wounded in the frequent attacks that followed the blockade. The crossing was reopened four days after the U.S. apologized for the Sepember 30 helicopter attack, saying the pilots thought the soldiers were insurgents on the run. “I am very happy that our difficult days have finally ended and we are through now,” driver Khan Rehman told The Associated Press minutes before he drove the first truck into Afghanistan just after noon. “I am thankful to the government of Pakistan for ending our hardship.” The blockade amplified the strong tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan, after Washington accused Pakistan of not going after Afghan Taliban militants hiding in the country.