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US Suspends $1.66Bln in Security Aid to Pakistan After Trump-Khan Twitter Row

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States has suspended a total of $1.66 billion in security assistance to Pakistan, Department of Defense spokesperson Col. Rob Manning told reporters.
Sputnik

"$1.66 billion of security assistance to Pakistan is suspended," Manning said on Tuesday.

Trump's Pakistan Rhetoric ‘Couldn't Have Come At a Worse Time'
On Sunday, Trump wrote that Pakistan was paid billions of US dollars and "did nothing" to assist the United States in fighting terrorism, including in Afghanistan and the operation to capture al-Qaeda terror group’s leader Osama Bin Laden. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the United States should assess the efficiency of its military operation in Afghanistan instead of making Pakistan a scapegoat for its failures in the region.

In September, the Pentagon suspended $300 million in aid to Islamabad, citing the government's alleged failure to fight the Taliban and terrorists groups that conduct cross-border attacks from Pakistani territory into Afghanistan.

READ MORE: Pakistan, China Ditch US Dollar for Yuan in Bilateral Trade

The US move came after Washington announced in January that it was suspending $900 million in security aid to Islamabad until it takes action against the Afghan Taliban.

Trump unveiled a new policy on Afghanistan in August. The strategy included boosting troop numbers in Afghanistan and pressuring Pakistan to do a better job of cracking down on terrorists who have found sanctuary within the country’s borders.

READ MORE: Pakistan Summons US Envoy to Protest Trump's Tweets on Osama Bin Laden

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