U.S. Airstrike on a Weapons Depot Kills 30 Taliban Militants in HelmandProvince. Pakistani air corridor into Afghanistan, which the US pilotscalled “The Boulevard”, was perhaps never closed.
In the past, the corridor was essential for ferrying troops, ammunition,and weapons for the US forces waging a war against Al Qaeda and the Talibansince 2001. US intelligence flights and combat missions used it when takingoff from the US bases in the Persian Gulf or aircraft carriers in theIndian Ocean.
Was it still operational after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan?
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In 2001, The US grudgingly accepted that Pakistan held an ace in a pokermatch with America. Pakistan’s land and air routes, if denied to the US andits coalition partners, could make the US invasion of Afghanistan extremelydifficult, if not impossible. True, alternate land and air routes- theso-called Northern Distribution Network – were available through CentralAsia.
