US should continue Pakistan aid: Robert Gates

VIRGINIA: US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that continued American aid to Pakistan is of "significant" US interest, and that he saw no evidence that Islamabad knew the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden before a US raid.

Appearing before lawmakers, Gates said he could understand Congress’ frustration with Pakistan over the war against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban but cautioned against cutting off assistance.

"I think we have to proceed with some caution," Gates said. "We do have significant interest in Pakistan. My own view is we need to continue the assistance that we have provided that benefits the Pakistani people."

As to whether Pakistani authorities knew the hiding place of Bin Laden before the US raid in which he was killed this month, Admiral Mike Mullen said "I've seen no evidence since the bin Laden raid that indicates that the top leadership knew bin Laden was there", which Gates seconded, saying "I've seen no evidence at all to support that notion and that I've seen some evidence on the contrary".

Gates noted Pakistan had already paid a significant price in embarrassment and damage to its reputation as a result of the raid.

"If I were in Pakistani shoes, I would say I've already paid a price. I've been humiliated. I've been shown that the Americans can come in here and do this with impunity," he said.

Gates also said Pakistanis had indicated a willingness to go after Al Qaeda or Afghan insurgent leaders, and it was important to give them an opportunity to do that.

"The Pakistanis over the last couple of weeks have expressed the view that they are willing to go after some of these people and we should not repeat the Bin Laden operation because they will undertake this themselves," he said.

He added that he shared the "frustration" felt by US lawmakers towards Pakistan but stressed that President Barack Obama's administration could not make allegations without evidence.

"It's hard to go to them with an accusation when we have no proof that anybody knew."

Mullen said it would take time to learn who may have known about bin Laden in Pakistan as intelligence agencies are still poring over a large amount of material found at the Al-Qaeda leader's compound.

Earlier in the day, US senators, in a letter to both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, had urged them to make sure Pakistan is doing its utmost to battle extremists before disbursing more US security aid.

The senators called for reviewing Pakistan’s efforts to end its support for terrorist groups, prevent al Qaeda, the Taliban and others from operating on Pakistani soil, and bolster its counter-terrorism and anti money-laundering laws.

Pakistan received a total of $2.7 billion dollars in aid and reimbursements from Washington in fiscal year 2010, which ended on October 1, making it the third-largest recipient of US aid after Afghanistan and Israel.

Finding bin Laden in a Pakistani military town “indicates, at a minimum, a lack of commitment by the Pakistani military to aggressive cooperation with the United States,” the senators said.

“This is particularly concerning as the Congress again considers increasing security assistance to Pakistan,” they said.