By IRNA,
Islamabad : US army officers will work alongside their Pakistani counterparts at a military airbase to advise them on security and technical procedures associated with sophisticated, advanced fighter aircraft, a US envoy said Monday.
Ambassador Anne W. Patterson, told participants at the National Defense Course, at National Defense University, Islamabad, that a small number of Americans will be working with Pakistani officers at Shahbaz Air Base, some 450 kilometers north of Karachi in southern Sindh province.
She said preparations are also underway for the arrival of four new F-16 aircraft by the middle of this year, to be followed by 14 more in the months ahead.
“These were purchased with Pakistan’s own funds, but we provided 14 F-16s in 2008,” she said, adding the United States is also providing funds to upgrade Pakistan’s existing F-16 aircraft.
“As part of our transfer agreement, a small number of Americans will be working at Shahbaz Air Base alongside their Pakistani counterparts, advising on the security and other technical procedures associated with these very sophisticated, advanced fighters”.
The envoy assured the Pakistani army officers that, as part of shared vision of the next steps in the campaign against extremism and militancy, both countries are coordinating activities and movements as they have never done before.
She said that the US military leadership is in constant contact with Pakistan army to impede cross-border attacks in Bajaur tribal region. Cooperation with Pakistan army Balochistan has grown sharply as the Afghan, U.S. and ISAF forces prepare to surge in Helmand, she said, adding, “This not only involves intelligence exchanges but also regular joint planning efforts”.
“Our troops are not only working together but also training together,” Ambassador Patterson said and referred the killing of three US soldiers killed in Pakistan’s Lower Dir were part of a small group of soldiers that have been training and working with the Frontier Corps over the past year and half.
“We are also expanding our training in the US for Pakistani officers through our regular international military training and education programs”.
POLITICAL SETTLEMENT IN AFGHANISTAN: Talking about a possible political settlement in Afghanistan, which directly affects Pakistan, she said the National Security Advisor, General Jim Jones, and other US leaders have assured the Pakistani civilian and military leaders that there will be complete transparency with them on any reconciliation talks that take place in Afghanistan.
She said the Afghan government will be in the lead on any reconciliation process but all involved nations recognize that this process must take into account Pakistan’s interests, given the cross-border nature of these insurgents.