US observing use of weapons supplied to Pak to fight terror

New Delhi, Aug 10 (PTI) Mindful of India's concerns
over Pakistan misusing American weapons against it, the US
Tuesday said it was "clearly observing" how these arms were
being used even as it expressed its commitment to combating
the LeT-al Qaeda syndicate in its entirety.
US Under Secretary for Defence Michele Flournoy told
reporters here that the Obama Administration was "mindful of
these concerns as we take steps to support the equipping of
Pakistan for the current counter insurgency and counter
terrorism purposes."
The US held frank discussion with Pakistan about the
purposes and application of the systems and it was "clearly
observing" how these were used, apart from having choices of
what they would provide and not provide, she said.
"There is a clear emphasis on supporting their
(Pakistan's) efforts on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border," she
said.
Flourney refused to take a question on the role of ISI
in supporting terror groups, as reflected in the US secret
security documents leaked on Wikileaks website, but said the
US had "a strong interest in fighting terrorism in all its
forms."
"We see a strong connection between the LeT and al
Qeada. This is a syndicate we are committed to combating in
its entirety," she said, adding the US was strongly committed
in building cooperation on this and that there was no
difference of view on combating terror.
Flournoy, however, said that since the time terror has
struck Pakistan's cities, the US has seen a "shift in the
political will" reflected in its anti-terror operations in
South Waziristan and SWAT regions.
"We are clear-eyed on the status of that effort and we
will continue to deal with the terror groups and we need to
carry on against the full syndicate of terror network," she
said.
India has time and again expressed its concerns to US
officials over the possibility of American weapons supplied to
Pakistan being misused to enhance conventional war fighting
capabilities, creating an imbalance in the South Asian region.
Defence Minister of India A K Antony had clearly conveyed
these apprehensions during his discussions with US National
Security Advisor James Jones and Chairman of Chiefs of Staff
Admiral Mike Mullen during their visits to India recently.
Antony had also sought a monitoring mechanism to prevent
diversion of American weapons by Pakistan against India.
On the possible supply of UAVs to Pakistan in the near
future, Flournoy said Islamabad had sought help in
intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance capability in
its counter terrorism campaign and the US was considering
supply of short range, unarmed UAVs such as 'Shadow' and
'ScanEagle' UAVs for the purpose. PTI NCB
KAB


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