State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said she could not yet reveal the exact figure, but said the cut was “significant,”and would remain unallocated pending progress. She added that “there may be some exceptions” to the freeze “that are made on a case-by-case basis if determined to be critical to national security interests.”
Earlier Thursday, in another sign of the frosting relationship between formal allies, the State Department placed Pakistan on a watch list “for severe violations of religious freedom.”
On January 1, President Donald Trump accused Islamabad of offering a “safe haven” for terrorist groups who are directly engaging US troops stationed in neighboring Afghanistan.
“The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools,” tweeted Trump, referencing the total US aid transfers to the country between 2002 and 2017.
(RT)
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The State Department suspended most security assistance to Pakistan and put it on a "special watch list" Thursday for its treatment of religious minorities.
ReplyDeleteState Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the United States will temporarily freeze military equipment deliveries and transfers of security-related funds to Pakistan and freeze reimbursements to the Pakistani government for money spent on conducting counterterrorism operations.
"Until the Pakistani government takes decisive action against groups, including the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network, we consider them to be destabilizing the region and also targeting personnel," she said.
UPI