Bush Gifts Billion Dollars a Year

Sun, 20 May 2007 23:27:37 GMT

clipped by: Gul Agha

WASHINGTON, May 19 — The United States is continuing to make large payments of roughly $1 billion a year to Pakistan for what it calls reimbursements to the country’s military for conducting counterterrorism efforts along the border with Afghanistan, even though Pakistan’s president decided eight months ago to slash patrols through the area where Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters are most active.

The monthly payments, called coalition support funds, are not widely advertised.

Some American military officials in the region have recommended that the money be tied to Pakistan’s performance

But Bush administration officials say no such plan is being considered, despite new evidence that the Pakistani military is often looking the other way when Taliban fighters retreat across the border into Pakistan, ignoring calls from American spotters to intercept them.

“They send us a bill, and we just pay it,” said a senior military official

Nobody can really explain what we are getting for this money

Tags: pakistan

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Bush Gifts Billion Dollars a Year