Washington rejects concerns that the move may alter strategic dynamics of the region. PHOTO: FILE
The United States on Monday hinted at the possibility of transferring some of its leftover military hardware from Afghanistan to Pakistan, while rejecting concerns by certain countries that the move may alter the strategic dynamics of the region.
“Pakistan has requested a variety of Excess Defence Articles (EDA). The US is currently reviewing Pakistan’s request for EDA. If approved, this EDA is likely to be sourced from US stock outside Afghanistan,” said a statement issued by the US Embassy in Islamabad.
It said the military equipment that has been determined to be excess can be made available through the worldwide excess defence articles programme, which is open to all eligible countries, including Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“This equipment will not be brought back with US forces from Afghanistan as they redeploy elsewhere,” it added.
It further said that the Department of Defence manages the process for identifying recipients for excess defence articles with State Department approval.
The decision of who obtains EDA is made on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration a range of factors, including the need of potential recipients, regional security dynamics, how the recipient nations intend to use the equipment and the ability of an EDA recipient to sustain the equipment. Final determinations of EDA are still being made.
The US Embassy contradicted an earlier statement by the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) that the US-led forces in Afghanistan were not in the process of transferring any military equipment, including MRAPs (mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles), from Afghanistan to Pakistan.
“Our commitment to the Afghan people and the Afghan National Security Forces is unwavering,” Isaf commander Gen Joseph Dunford had stated.
The statement came amid a political firestorm in Afghanistan over reports that the US had planned to transfer some of its excess equipment to Pakistan.
Defence Secretary Lt Gen (retd) Asif Yasin Malik also claimed on Monday that Pakistan would be receiving some of the leftover military hardware from the US once its forces leave Afghanistan by the end of this year.
The Washington Post earlier this month reported that discussions between American and Pakistani officials have been going on for months and centre on leftover military hardware that the United States does not want to pay to ship or fly home.
Pakistan is particularly interested in the US army’s MRAP vehicles, which Pentagon officials say will have limited strategic value as US forces withdraw from Afghanistan this year.
But with Pakistan’s military expected to be battling Taliban insurgents for years, the MRAPs could help Pakistani forces slow their high casualty rate of more than 20,000 dead or injured troops since 2001.
The backbone of the US military’s vehicle fleet in Afghanistan, MRAPs were designed to protect American troops from explosive devices.
But each MRAP weighs as much as 40 tonnes, and Pentagon leaders have said it would potentially cost more than $100,000 per vehicle to ship them back to the United States. They also have qualms about leaving them in Afghanistan, noting that the stock is larger than what the Afghan army would be able to maintain.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 1st, 2014.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ