Pakistan Expels US Military Trainers, Limits Visas – Obama Cuts $800 Million In Aid To Pakistani Military

Obama cuts $800million in aid to Pakistan after terror ally expels U.S. military trainers and limits visa handouts for Americans (Daily Mail, July 10, 2011):

The U.S. Government is to withhold and cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Pakistani military, it has emerged.

In a move by the Obama administration to vent its displeasure at the expulsion of its military trainers from the country and limits Pakistan has put on handing out visas to U.S. personnel, the White House has said it will ‘pause’ the aid it has been giving out.

The bold move, a significant marker of changing attitudes within the Obama administration about how it should deal with its key counter-terrorism partner, is also thought to be a means of pressing the Pakistani military to prove it can effectively fight militants on its own.

In total, about $800million worth of military aid and equipment could be deferred, amounting to more than one third of the $2billion in security assistance given to Pakistan by the U.S. annually.

White House Chief of Staff William Daley said Pakistani authorities have ‘taken some steps that have given us reason to pause on some of the aid which we’re giving to the military.’

As a result, ‘we’ll hold back some of the money that the American taxpayers have committed to give,’ he told ABC.

The U.S. Defence Department said Pakistan’s army had requested a ‘significant cutback’ of U.S. military trainers and limited the ability of U.S. personnel to obtain visas.

‘While the Pakistani military leadership tells us this is a temporary step, the reduced presence of our trainers and other personnel means we can’t deliver the assistance that requires training and support to be effective,’ the department said in a written response to questions.

Bilateral ties have been under mounting strain as the United States has pushed one of its key counter-terrorism partners to boost efforts against Taliban and other militants fighting western forces in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Pakistan also is smarting from the surprise U.S. raid that killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on May 2 in a Pakistani garrison town, as well as U.S. drone attacks and night raids that have killed civilians as well as militants.

According to the New York Times, Pakistan has shut down a U.S. program that had been training paramilitary forces, sending home more than 100 U.S. trainers in recent weeks, and has threatened to close the base the CIA has been using for pilotless plane attacks on militant targets.

The U.S.-Pakistan relationship also was damaged last year after a CIA contractor in Lahore killed two Pakistanis he said were trying to rob him.

The Defence Department in its reply said a series of events over the last eight months ‘have affected our bilateral relations.’

‘We remain committed to helping Pakistan build its capabilities, but we have communicated to Pakistani officials on numerous occasions that we require certain support in order to provide certain assistance,’ the Pentagon said.

‘Working together, allowing an appropriate presence for U.S. military personnel, providing necessary visas, and affording appropriate access are among the things that would allow us to effectively provide assistance,’ it added.

The State Department added: ‘We are taking a very clear-eyed approach to our relationship with Pakistan – weighing both the importance of a continued long-term relationship and the importance of near-term action on key issues.’

The United States will continue to work with Pakistani leaders ‘to affirm the importance of cooperating toward our shared national security objectives,’ the department added.

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