Trump administration cancels $255 million of military aid to Pakistan
Please consider donating to Behind the Black, by giving either a one-time contribution or a regular subscription, as outlined in the tip jar to the right or below. Your support will allow me to continue covering science and culture as I have for the past twenty years, independent and free from any outside influence.
Related to Awan IT scandal? The Trump administration has canceled the last payment of $255 million of military aid to Pakistan, out of a total $1.1 billion package.
“The United States does not plan to spend the $255 million in FY 2016 in Foreign Military Financing for Pakistan at this time,” said a spokesperson of the President’s National Security Council in a statement to Hindustan Times. “The President has made clear that the United States expects Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorists and militants on its soil, and that Pakistan’s actions in support of the South Asia Strategy will ultimately determine the trajectory of our relationship, including future security assistance. The Administration continues to review Pakistan’s level of cooperation.”
The statement reflected and sealed the administration’s complete disillusionment with Pakistan, which had sought to brazenly disregard the explicit warnings issued by President Donald Trump personally and leading members of his cabinet, such as secretaries James Mattis and Rex Tillerson. “This could be the severest blow dealt to Islamabad by this administration if it indeed decided to withhold it,” said a leading US expert on Pakistan, who did not want to be identified. “There is more coming,” the expert added.
I am wondering if this action now might have some connection with the unfolding Imran Awan IT Congressional scandal. There is evidence there that Awan and his brothers were working with both Hezbollah and Pakistan to obtain classified information from the computers of congressional Democrats.
Please consider donating to Behind the Black, by giving either a one-time contribution or a regular subscription, as outlined in the tip jar to the right or below. Your support will allow me to continue covering science and culture as I have for the past twenty years, independent and free from any outside influence.
Related to Awan IT scandal? The Trump administration has canceled the last payment of $255 million of military aid to Pakistan, out of a total $1.1 billion package.
“The United States does not plan to spend the $255 million in FY 2016 in Foreign Military Financing for Pakistan at this time,” said a spokesperson of the President’s National Security Council in a statement to Hindustan Times. “The President has made clear that the United States expects Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorists and militants on its soil, and that Pakistan’s actions in support of the South Asia Strategy will ultimately determine the trajectory of our relationship, including future security assistance. The Administration continues to review Pakistan’s level of cooperation.”
The statement reflected and sealed the administration’s complete disillusionment with Pakistan, which had sought to brazenly disregard the explicit warnings issued by President Donald Trump personally and leading members of his cabinet, such as secretaries James Mattis and Rex Tillerson. “This could be the severest blow dealt to Islamabad by this administration if it indeed decided to withhold it,” said a leading US expert on Pakistan, who did not want to be identified. “There is more coming,” the expert added.
I am wondering if this action now might have some connection with the unfolding Imran Awan IT Congressional scandal. There is evidence there that Awan and his brothers were working with both Hezbollah and Pakistan to obtain classified information from the computers of congressional Democrats.
It could be related to continued support by Pakistan for the Taiwan.
Maybe Trump will make people in the Middle East talk about their bribes and collusions with the Clintons and the Neocons. Maybe he will find an agreeable way of co-existence with the bad guys out there.
Des – do you mean Taliban?
If history is a guide, the graft we stop today will find another channel tomorrow. We really need to purge the enemies within.
Let them pay for their own security. Their personal income tax is less than ours. Starts at 2%, maximum of 30%. We should not give foreign aid until a countries own citizens are tapped out.
They’ve been less than an ally in fighting terror, harboring Bin Laden and Taliban.
Des
It could be related to continued support by Pakistan for the Taiwan.
Assuming you mean the Taliban, this is probably correct.
Pakistan has been playing both sides but they have been allowed to do so because our logistics train goes through their country. Or it did anyway, I haven’t seen anything cross my path on what’s going on in Afghanistan for a while. Is there a development that gives us more logistical freedom?
Has Pakistan grown so attached to the money that not having it will bring enough discomfort to finally turn on the Taliban? Is this just the first step before more direct action against the Taliban and their allies in Pakistan?
The only way to really beat the Taliban and their sundry Islamist group allies is to take away their safe haven, means of production, and agriculture in Pakistan.
I may be incorrect, however, to my knowledge, thanks to the poltroons in the previous administration and their ham handed attempts at foreign policy, we lost our only other log route into Afghanistan, which was the air bridge through Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyzstan understandably yielded to Russian pressure to close the use of airbases to U S forces, Russia is in close proximity to the former Soviet Republic, and the weak-kneed foreign policy espoused by the former administration left allies very, very uncertain as to whether the US would live up to agreements or not.
The loss of that cargo route leaves the Pak overland route as the only real option.