In what is considered to be yet another surprising move from the Trump administration, Washington announced that it has canceled a total of USD$300 million worth of military aid to Pakistan just days before the upcoming visit of State Secretary Mike Pompeo in the region.
According to BBC, Islamabad has failed to take action in suppressing the insurgent activities of several militant groups in the country.
Pakistan was formerly accused by the POTUS of deceiving the American government to pour billions of dollars worth of funds intended to help the country eradicate several terrorist groups such as the Haqqani network and the Afghan Taliban reportedly sheltered within its borders.
In a statement released by Pentagon on Saturday, through the person of Lt. Col. Kone Faulkner, it was further revealed that the US military is now looking to use the money on other matters of urgent nature.
Lt. Faulkner went on to say that Washington has continued to pressure Pakistan to "indiscriminately target" these terrorist groups but seeing the Asian nation's lack of "decisive actions," the funds should better off be used elsewhere.
Mike Pompeo's Visit
Apparently, this announcement from the Pentagon follows just days after the office of the US Secretary of State confirmed Pompeo's state visit to Pakistan this week to meet its newest prime minister, Imran Khan.
As further detailed over at the Telegraph, Pompeo will be accompanied by Gen. Joseph Dunford, Pentagon's highly-decorated military officer, in the Islamabad meeting.
One of the meeting's points of focus is to further educate the Pakistani armed forces in the effective ways of fighting the militants.
America has long been banking on Pakistan's capacity to help quell the Afghan conflict. As stated by the media outlet, Islamabad's victory against these insurgent forces is deemed important in securing the peace and order in the region.
Coincidentally, Secretary Pompeo is also en route for a summit in India, the report from the Financial Times said.
India and Pakistan are known to be long-time rivals. Since the departure of the British Empire from the region in 1947, the two South Asian countries have been at each other's throats. Both nations were involved in four major wars, not to mention various accounts of bloody skirmishes and military stand-offs waged along its shared borders.
The recall of the USD$300 million military aid wasn't the first move made by the Trump government against Pakistan. Earlier this year, Trump blasted Islamabad for its "lies and deceit," prompting Washington to hold back the USD$2 billion worth of security assistance to the country.
