The Trump administration will suspend most security assistance to Pakistan, the State Department said on Thursday, expanding its retribution over militant safe havens that U.S. officials blame for ongoing violence in Afghanistan.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, speaking to reporters, said the suspension would allow the administration, which will freeze the aid payments but not allocate the money elsewhere, to reassess in the coming year.
Because the administration had previously said it would suspend $255 million in foreign military funding for Pakistan, the new announcement will have limited practical effect in the short term, as officials wait to see if Pakistan takes new action against militants.
(c) 2018, The Washington Post · Missy Ryan, Carol Morello
{Matzav.com}
Drop in the bucket.