US costs soar for new war supply routes

The Pentagon says the US is paying six times more than before to send war supplies to troops in Afghanistan through alternate routes since Pakistans punitive decision in November to close border crossings to NATO convoys.Pentagon figures provided to the AP show it now costs about $104 million per month to move the supplies through a longer northern route, $87 million more a month than when the cargo moved through Pakistan. Islamabad shut down two keyPakistan border crossings after a US airstrike killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers in late November, and it is unclear when it might reopen them.US officials have acknowledged that using alternate transportation routes for Afghan war supplies is more expensive and takes longer, but the total costs had not been disclosed until now.