The US has sent a number of military trainers back into Pakistan to resume teaching Pakistani instructors in counter-militancy warfare in the Asian country, a US official says.
The move came months after the number of American military trainers in Pakistan dropped to zero after 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in US airstrikes on a border region in late November.
The incident led to a string of tensions that have left Washington's relations with Islamabad in crisis.
The US official said on condition of anonymity that less than 10 US special operations soldiers are stationed in a military training site near the border city of Peshawar.
"I wouldn't call this a watershed moment (but) it's not insignificant that this is happening," the official said.
In retaliation for the November deadly airstrikes, Islamabad closed NATO supply routes for US-led forces in Afghanistan and clamped down on US military trainers operating in Pakistan. Pakistan also imposed restrictions on issuing visas to US intelligence personnel.
"At a strategic level, the relationship is still at a very rough place," the official said.
"There's a lot more we want to do to improve it, but (the trainers' return) is an important sign that at least in some areas we're getting a healthy sense of normalcy," the US official added.
Recent criticism by the United States targeting the Pakistani government over jailing a Pakistani doctor for helping CIA’s operatives with the US hunt for Osama bin Laden has led to the postponement of a visit to Washington by Pakistan's new intelligence chief.
Newly-appointed head of Pakistan’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) Lt. Gen. Zaheer al-Islam was scheduled to meet his American counterpart, Director of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) David H. Petraeus.
The Pakistani military claimed in a Monday statement, however, that the cancellation of spy chief’s visit to Washington was due to “pressing commitments” at home and that “there is no other reason.” (Press TV)
The move came months after the number of American military trainers in Pakistan dropped to zero after 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in US airstrikes on a border region in late November.
The incident led to a string of tensions that have left Washington's relations with Islamabad in crisis.
The US official said on condition of anonymity that less than 10 US special operations soldiers are stationed in a military training site near the border city of Peshawar.
"I wouldn't call this a watershed moment (but) it's not insignificant that this is happening," the official said.
In retaliation for the November deadly airstrikes, Islamabad closed NATO supply routes for US-led forces in Afghanistan and clamped down on US military trainers operating in Pakistan. Pakistan also imposed restrictions on issuing visas to US intelligence personnel.
"At a strategic level, the relationship is still at a very rough place," the official said.
"There's a lot more we want to do to improve it, but (the trainers' return) is an important sign that at least in some areas we're getting a healthy sense of normalcy," the US official added.
Recent criticism by the United States targeting the Pakistani government over jailing a Pakistani doctor for helping CIA’s operatives with the US hunt for Osama bin Laden has led to the postponement of a visit to Washington by Pakistan's new intelligence chief.
Newly-appointed head of Pakistan’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) Lt. Gen. Zaheer al-Islam was scheduled to meet his American counterpart, Director of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) David H. Petraeus.
The Pakistani military claimed in a Monday statement, however, that the cancellation of spy chief’s visit to Washington was due to “pressing commitments” at home and that “there is no other reason.” (Press TV)
Source : Afghan Voice Agency (AVA), International Service
