Islamabad, July 5 (IANS) The first container carrying supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan Thursday crossed the Pakistan-Afghan border after Islamabad reopened the supply route, officials said.

The container entered Afghanistan via Chaman, a border city in southwestern Balochistan province, after custom clearance, border official Fazal Bari told Xinhua.

He said the first container carried food and mineral water for the foreign forces.

Two other containers are waiting for custom clearance and could be allowed to cross the border point any time.

The containers had been parked at Chaman when Pakistan closed the NATO supply route in November last year. Many other containers were sent back after the ban was imposed.

Pakistan closed the route protesting the killing of its 24 soldiers in a NATO air strike on the Salala border post in November.

Thousands of other NATO trucks and oil containers are waiting for permission at the port city of Karachi, officials said.

They will shortly be allowed to leave for Afghanistan via Chaman as well as Torkham border town in northwest Pakistan's tribal region.