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US to provide $1.6 bn aid to Pakistan to fight terror

Washington: The US justified plans to release more than $1.6 billion in aid to Pakistan saying it was doing so partly to build Islamabad's counterinsurgency and counterterrorism capabilities "encouraged by an improvement in bilateral ties"."This

India TV News Desk India TV News Desk Updated on: October 22, 2013 12:27 IST
Harf didn't spell out the "bilateral challenges" but aid to Pakistan had been blocked because of tension over events including drone strikes and the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden inside Pakistan.



The spokesperson said she didn't have an exact breakdown, but the $1.6 billion is "close to being 50/50" between security and military.

"The security assistance will work on to continue to build the counterinsurgency and counterterrorism capabilities of Pakistan's security forces," Harf said.

"This is especially important in the western border regions when we're talking about fighting Al Qaeda and its affiliated groups," she said.

Asked if the issue of US drone strikes that has caused a lot of anger in Pakistan was discussed during the Kerry-Sharif meeting, the spokesperson said she did not have any specific information but "obviously, counterterrorism is an issue that we discuss all the time with the Pakistanis".

"Again, we're going to keep talking to the Pakistanis about this," Harf said referring to a speech by Obama "when he talked about our counterterrorism operations, when he talked about the fact that, in any operation, we undertake every effort to limit civilian casualties".

A State Department statement issued after the Kerry-Sharif meeting said it was their third meeting in three months, "and continued the robust dialogue on our shared goal of a stable, secure, and prosperous Pakistan".

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