US military to cancel $300m aid to Pakistan over failure to act against terror groups
Washington, Sept 2 (IBNS): Amid the toughening of the stand on Pakistan by the Donald Trump administration, the US military has declared that it will cancel the $300m (£230m) aid to the South Asian nation as the latter has failed to take action against militant groups operating from its soil.
"Due to a lack of Pakistani decisive actions in support of the South Asia Strategy the remaining $300 (million) was reprogrammed," Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner said on Saturday.
Pentagon spokesperson Lt Col Koné Faulkner was quoted as saying that the US military would attempt to spend the money on other "urgent priorities".
The US State Department has accused Pakistan of failing to stop terror networks from working in their country including Haqqani network and the Afghan Taliban.
"We continue to press Pakistan to indiscriminately target all terrorist groups," Col Faulkner was quoted as saying, adding that the $300m aid - which had earlier been suspended - should be used elsewhere due to "a lack of Pakistani decisive actions" in tackling the issue.
The announcement comes just days before US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to visit Pakistan.
He is supposed to meet Pakistan's new prime minister Imran Khan.
Earlier in January, the US government announced it was scrapping almost all security aid to Pakistan.
The US has time again warned Pakistan against providing a safe haven to terror groups.
Pakistan has long been an ally of USA and especially since the United States declared a global war on terror in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. However, Washington was always skeptical about the sincerity of Pakistan in combating terrorism.
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