Pakistan has closed the main supply route in the Khyber Pass for NATO forces operating in Afghanistan, as Pakistan launched an offensive against militants in the region.

Tariq Hayat, Pakistan's top administrator for the tribal Khyber region, told reporters Tuesday that helicopter gunships, tanks and artillery units have deployed in the area near the Afghan border. Hayat says supplies to NATO forces through the pass will be "suspended" until the operation is complete.

Militants have carried out a series of attacks on NATO and U.S. military convoys along the vital supply route in recent weeks. The supplies are delivered through the Khyber Pass after arriving in the Pakistani port city of Karachi.

Militants have also destroyed several supply depots in northwestern Pakistan.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.