Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Wall Street Journal (wsj.com)
November 5, 2007
WASHINGTON (AFP)--Washington and Islamabad will continue joint military operations along the border with Afghanistan despite the turmoil rocking Pakistan, U.S. defense officials said Monday.
"As far as I know, with respect to our borders operations coordination, our military operations, that continues. That said, I wouldn't want to speculate for the future," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.
"We are reviewing all of our assistance programs, but we need to be mindful not to hurt the counter-terrorism relations," he added, repeating the same message given by Defense Secretary Robert Gates earlier Monday during a visit to Beijing.
Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf on Saturday imposed emergency rule on his nuclear-armed nation of 160 million people, citing growing Islamic extremism and hostile judges.
Top U.S. officials reacted swiftly, saying Washington's aid to the staunch war-on-terrorism ally was under review, but warned against expecting a freeze or cuts in assistance to battle Islamist extremists and Al-Qaeda fighters.
And Washington warned Monday that ties between the two countries would not remain the same unless Musharraf reverses course on the state of emergency and steers Pakistan back to democracy.
Washington has accorded Islamabad, a key ally in the war on terror, some $11 billion in financial and military aid since 2001.
Whitman did not specify which aid programs were under review.
Funding for Pakistan's operations under operation Enduring Freedom represent "about $80 million a month," he said. "So far $5.3 billion has been repaid to Pakistan" since the beginning of the operation.
The Pakistani military is also due to receive some $300 million for the 2008 fiscal year, as well as about $2 million dollars designated for military training.
Other U.S. assistance goes towards funding anti-drug and weapon non-proliferation programs.
Islamabad also benefits from sales of American arms, Whitman said, adding that in 2006 the U.S. Congress approved the sale of 36 F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, although he was unsure if they have arrived yet.
November 5, 2007
WASHINGTON (AFP)--Washington and Islamabad will continue joint military operations along the border with Afghanistan despite the turmoil rocking Pakistan, U.S. defense officials said Monday.
"As far as I know, with respect to our borders operations coordination, our military operations, that continues. That said, I wouldn't want to speculate for the future," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.
"We are reviewing all of our assistance programs, but we need to be mindful not to hurt the counter-terrorism relations," he added, repeating the same message given by Defense Secretary Robert Gates earlier Monday during a visit to Beijing.
Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf on Saturday imposed emergency rule on his nuclear-armed nation of 160 million people, citing growing Islamic extremism and hostile judges.
Top U.S. officials reacted swiftly, saying Washington's aid to the staunch war-on-terrorism ally was under review, but warned against expecting a freeze or cuts in assistance to battle Islamist extremists and Al-Qaeda fighters.
And Washington warned Monday that ties between the two countries would not remain the same unless Musharraf reverses course on the state of emergency and steers Pakistan back to democracy.
Washington has accorded Islamabad, a key ally in the war on terror, some $11 billion in financial and military aid since 2001.
Whitman did not specify which aid programs were under review.
Funding for Pakistan's operations under operation Enduring Freedom represent "about $80 million a month," he said. "So far $5.3 billion has been repaid to Pakistan" since the beginning of the operation.
The Pakistani military is also due to receive some $300 million for the 2008 fiscal year, as well as about $2 million dollars designated for military training.
Other U.S. assistance goes towards funding anti-drug and weapon non-proliferation programs.
Islamabad also benefits from sales of American arms, Whitman said, adding that in 2006 the U.S. Congress approved the sale of 36 F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, although he was unsure if they have arrived yet.