US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike MullenUS military
chief Admiral Mike Mullen says Pakistan is to reduce sharply the number
of US military trainers stationed in the country.
Mullen, the US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, declined to
offer figures on plans to cut the military mission, but said he saw “a
very significant cutback.”
He also acknowledged that ties between Washington and Islamabad
reached a new low after the alleged killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin
Laden by US forces on Pakistani soil.
“There clearly is an ongoing contraction of that support and it is
tied to the difficult time we are going through,” Mullen told defense
reporters in Washington.
“We’re going through a pretty tough time right now and that’s going to continue,” he said.
The administration of US President Barack Obama is divided over the future of its relations with Pakistan.
Obama claimed that bin Laden was killed by US forces on May 1 in a hiding compound in Pakistan.
Some White House officials suggest that Islamabad was aware of bin Laden’s location, demanding a strong response.
Others, however, believe any retaliatory measure will jeopardize
Pakistan’s help which they describe as crucial to the US military
operations in Afghanistan.
Pakistani lawmakers have recently passed a resolution condemning the
US raid…
