US shifts supply routes from Pakistan

US negotiating expanded agreements with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan.


Afp July 04, 2011

WASHINGTON:


The US military is expanding its Central Asian supply routes to the war in Afghanistan, fearing that routes going through Pakistan could be endangered by deteriorating US-Pakistani relations, The Washington Post reported.


Citing unnamed Pentagon officials, the newspaper said that in 2009, the US had moved 90% of its military surface cargo through Karachi and then through mountain passes into Afghanistan.

Now almost 40% of surface cargo arrives in Afghanistan from the north, along a patchwork of Central Asian rail and road routes that the Pentagon calls the Northern Distribution Network, the report said.

The military is pushing to raise the northern network’s share to as much as 75% by the end of this year, the paper said.

In addition, the US government is negotiating expanded agreements with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other countries that will allow for delivery of additional supplies to the Afghan war zone, The Post said.

The US also wants permission to withdraw vehicles and other equipment from Afghanistan as the US military prepares to pull out one-third of its forces by September 2012, the paper noted.

There are currently up to 150,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, including about 99,000 from the US. Obama has indicated a series of drawdowns until Afghan forces assume security responsibility in 2014.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4th, 2011.


COMMENTS (81)

Malay | 12 years ago | Reply Bad news for pathologically anti americans.
Sameer | 12 years ago | Reply @ Bhola - beyond your hilarious racism, need you be reminded that the Sikhs, much smaller in numbers than the Muslims, ruled over much of what is now Pakistan? Beating your chest doesn't accomplish much. Please point out the survey which says 98% of Indians hate the 2% who are educated enough to try to gain a global perspective and read ET. India has a democratic process where the 2% of people who are highly educated rarely get any say in India's leadership. Witness the recent New York Times front page story on Gurgaon. Please also help us understand how India is "war mongering"? India has never started a war. Pakistan has started 4 and lost every single one. More Pakistani delusion. Thank goodness for papers like ET which have the courage to tell the truth in Pakistan. The Maoists? Yes, they are a problem in tribal areas. India has a lot of work to do to spread the fruits of capitalism to all of India. It will take time and continued effort. We have no delusions about it but we don't feel the need to taunt Pakistanis about how much better off India is. We realize we all have our own unique set of problems but we just don't understand why people like you always have to be racist, think you are superior, and then criticize India for things its not. Corrupt and heavily bureaucratic? Yes. War mongering? No. Learn the facts before you spread hate.
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