Pakistan, US sign deal to bolster frontier security
Afp, Islamabad
The United States will supply key ally Pakistan with an extra 2.7 million dollars worth of equipment for forces on the Afghan frontier under an agreement signed yesterday, a statement said. US officials will also help train border guards, said the statement issued by the American embassy, following calls on Pakistan to crack down on cross-border infiltration of Taliban militants into Afghanistan. Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao and US envoy Ryan Crocker signed a memorandum of understanding for security and communications gear and to help build more frontier posts. "We are pleased to be able to assist the Frontier Constabulary with its law enforcement efforts," Crocker was quoted as saying, referring to Pakistan's name for its border force. Pakistan says it has around 80,000 troops along its porous 2,500-kilometre (1,550-mile) border with Afghanistan, ranging from the mountainous northwestern tribal areas to the deserts of southwestern Baluchistan province. It has killed or captured hundreds of al-Qaeda and Taliban militants who crossed the frontier and took sanctuary in Pakistan since a US-led coalition ousted the Taliban in late 2001. But Islamabad has faced months of pressure from Nato forces in Afghanistan, who want it to tackle insurgents whom they say are still operating from Pakistani soil.
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