The United States has agreed to scale back the number of American
troops stationed in Pakistan amid tense relations with Islamabad, a US
official said Wednesday.
The move was the latest sign of strain
between the two countries in the wake of a US raid in May deep inside
Pakistan that killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden at his hideout in
Abbotabad.
"There have been discussions for some time for the
future footprint of US military personnel in Pakistan," the official,
who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
Instead of the
roughly 300 US troops that have been deployed in Pakistan, the
contingent would be cut roughly in half to "between 100 and 150," the
official said.
Under the agreement, the number of elite special
operations forces training Pakistan troops to take on Islamist
militants would be dramatically reduced, the official said.
"The training footprint will be much more limited," the official said.
The deal could leave in place as few as a dozen special operators, instead of the roughly 140 now in Pakistan.
Soon
after the unilateral raid on Bin Laden's compound that angered and
embarrassed leaders in Islamabad, Pakistan demanded the US military
drastically reduce its presence in the country.
President Barack
Obama's deputies have since voiced growing frustration with Islamabad
for failing to move against Pakistan-based Haqqani militants targeting
US forces in Afghanistan, leaving open the possibility of unilateral
American action.
But the US official said the agreement on troop numbers was "not at all a signal of a breach of the partnership." AFP
