US cutting back troops in Pakistan

The US military says it has begun pulling some American troops out of Pakistan after Islamabad requested a smaller presence, amid tensions over a US raid against Osama Bin Laden.



"We were recently (within past 2 weeks) notified in writing that the government of Pakistan wished for the US to reduce its footprint in Pakistan. Accordingly, we have begun those reductions," spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan said in an email to reporters.

There are more than 200 US military personnel in Pakistan serving mostly as trainers as part of a long-running effort to counter Al-Qaeda and Islamist militants.

But the uneasy relationship between Pakistan and the United States has come under severe strain following a unilateral raid by US commandos that killed Bin Laden on May 2 in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, home to a military academy.

President Barack Obama's administration has stepped up diplomatic efforts to smooth over the crisis sparked by the raid on the Al-Qaeda leader's compound, while some lawmakers in Congress have called for cutting aid to Islamabad.

Since the Bin Laden operation, the United States has kept up CIA drone strikes on militant targets in Pakistan's northwest. The bombing raids are deeply unpopular and often draw public criticism from Pakistani officials.


Share

1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AFP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world