Militants hijack trucks in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Pakistani militants hijacked a supply column and took 26 captives as the trucks traveled to Afghanistan to supply NATO-led forces, officials said.

At least 12 trucks, which carried food supplies and two Humvee armored vehicles, were hijacked Monday by about 60 armed militants operating along the Khyber Pass.

The trucks were later found abandoned in a valley and their containers were empty, officials told the BBC.

There was no word on the 26 drivers and others captured in the incident, the British network reported.

The road along the violence-wracked northwestern region of Pakistan is used heavily for supplying NATO forces battling a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan.

The BBC reported more than 350 trucks use the Khyber Pass every day, carrying about 7,000 tons of supplies to Kabul.

Such hijackings have increased in recent months in the area. Pakistani officials say the attacks are the work of militants loyal to Baitullah Mehsud, commander of the Pakistani Taliban group.

The English-language Pakistani newspaper Dawn had reported earlier the Monday attack occurred while Pakistan's paramilitary personnel watched from the nearby Jamrud Fort. One official was quoted as saying the security forces did not take any action.