Has NATO Found Alternative Supply Routes For Their Forces In Afghanistan?

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Has NATO Given Up On The Pakistan Border For Good? -- Joshua Keating, Foreign Policy

The AP reports that NATO has inked an agreement with several Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan to allow the reverse transport of material out of Afghanistan:

Since NATO already has an agreement with Russia, the deal will allow it to ship back to Europe tens of thousands of vehicles, containers and other items through the overland route when the evacuation picks up pace later this year.

The Northern Distribution Network was once viewed as way to relieve some pressure on the more-traveled Pakistani route, but with the Pakistan border closed to NATO for the last six months since the accidental killing of 24 Pakistani troops, the arrangement is starting to feel a bit more permanent:

The announcement on Monday appears to indicate that Washington and the allies are now preparing for the possibility that the supply link through Pakistan, said to be about six times cheaper than its northern alternative, may not be reopened at all.

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My Comment: I said the same thing yesterday .... developing the northern route is good .... but we will still need to deal with Pakistan.