Peshawar, February 3:

Suspected Islamic militants blew up a bridge in northwest Pakistan today, closing a crucial supply line for NATO troops in Afghanistan as the military reported killing 35 extremists in the region.

The 100-foot iron bridge in the Khyber district, built on a culvert under the British Raj, was destroyed early in the morning and all traffic on the road had come to a standstill, official Tariq Hayat told AFP.

A Pakistani security official said work was underway to repair the bridge and resume traffic on the only route through the fabled but militant-infested Khyber pass into Afghanistan.

“The traffic will be restored at least by tomorrow. Hundreds of vehicles are stuck up on both sides of the bridge,” said another local official, Rahat Gul.

The bulk of supplies and equipment required by NATO and US-led forces battling a Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan is shipped through US ally Pakistan, which offers a shorter route than other neighbouring countries.

Australian Wing Commander Mark Larter, in Afghanistan, a media officer for the NATO force there, said the loss of the route would have little impact.

“Our current logistics arrangements are sufficient to meet our needs,” he said.

NATO runs another land route — Quetta through Chaman and across the border at Spin Boldak — and air lifts supplies from Karachi. But land routes are frequently closed for days at a time because of unrest and the US military has sought to find alternative ways into Afghanistan to safeguard supply lines.