Islamabad : Pakistan has ordered the exit of up to 20 per cent of the US Special Operations forces trainers in that country in the wake of a series of clashes between the two governments, according to a US military official.
Pakistan had threatened to reduce American presence in the country following the Raymond Davis diplomatic row that took its toll on US-Pak relations, which were already strained over stepped-up drone strikes in Pakistan's militant-infested tribal region and disagreements over the war in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Out of roughly 150 US Special Operations forces trainers in Pakistan, between 25 and 30 trainers were "told to leave" in the weeks before the US commando raid that killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden this month, apparently in response to the Raymond Davis issue, The Washington Post quoted the official, as saying on the condition of anonymity.
Since bin Laden, who had evaded capture for a decade, was killed on May 2 in a top-secret US unilateral military operation in Pakistan's Abbottabad city, relations have become even more frayed.
The Obama administration has asked pointed questions about bin Laden's support system in Pakistan, and the Pakistanis assert that US raiders violated their sovereignty. ANI
