Pakistan ? Pakistan has reopened the main supply route for U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan after blocking it for three days during an operation against militants blamed for repeated attacks on convoys in the Khyber Pass, an official said.

Authorities say the operation was a success, but a similar offensive in June failed to curtail attacks and was followed by a controversial peace deal with tribal elders in the northwest Khyber region that U.S. officials say allowed militants to regroup.

The U.S. plans to deploy up to 30,000 additional troops to landlocked Afghanistan this year, further increasing the importance of secure supply routes through Pakistan, which deliver up to 75 percent of the fuel, food and other goods used by Western forces.

Militants have stepped up attacks against convoys passing through Khyber in recent months and have also ransacked terminals in the nearby city of Peshawar holding supplies intended for the Afghan army.