Reports: Supplies to soon flow through Russia

[unhappycamper]

Reports: Supplies to soon flow through Russia
By Jim Heintz - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Feb 14, 2009 18:01:50 EST

MOSCOW — The shipment of U.S. military supplies for Afghanistan through Russia will begin soon, news agencies quoted Russia’s foreign minister as saying Saturday.

“The transit will take place literally within days,” Sergey Lavrov told TV Tsentr, according to the Interfax, ITAR-Tass and RIA-Novosti agencies.

Foreign Ministry officials could not be reached for comment late Saturday, and the reports did not say whether the supplies would transit Russia by land or air. However, Russia announced last week that it would allow U.S. shipments of non-lethal military supplies to Afghanistan.

Supply routes to Afghanistan for the U.S.-led international military operation have become an increasingly critical issue in recent months amid growing militant attacks on the land routes through Pakistan that carry about 75 percent of U.S. supplies.

The U.S. plans to send around 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan this year.


Rest of article at: http://armytimes.com/news/2009/02/ap_russia_supplies_021409/%2e