US to reimburse Pakistan for military costs

Press secretary Geoff Morrell said 600 million dollars "is en route or will soon be en route in the next few weeks to Pakistan to reimburse them for their operations over the past year." (AP)

WASHINGTON: The United States will soon transfer $600 million to Pakistan to reimburse the government for military operations against militants, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

The move marked an attempt by Washington to address complaints from Pakistan over protracted delays in US payments, press secretary Geoff Morrell said.

“There has been some concern on the Pakistanis’ part about the rate at which they are reimbursed for coalition support funds for their efforts in the war on terror on our behalf within their borders,” Morrell told reporters. “We have made great strides over the past few weeks to try to accelerate reimbursement payments to the Pakistanis,” he said.

He said that about 600 million dollars “is en route or will soon be en route in the next few weeks to Pakistan to reimburse them for their operations over the past year.”

The United States had imposed stricter rules on approving the reimbursements after government audits showed some costs were not backed up with detailed documentation. But the tougher oversight has created a backlog, causing a strain in US-Pakistan relations.