U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has said on Friday that American aid to Pakistan could be restored if the powerful nuclear ally takes “decisive movements against terrorists.”
Pakistan is a crucial gateway for U.S. military supplies destined for U.S. and other troops fighting a 16-year-old war in neighboring, landlocked Afghanistan.
So far, the Pentagon says Pakistan has not given any indication that it would close its airspace or roads to military supplies, and U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis played down concerns on Friday.
Mattis, speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, said he was not concerned about America's ability to use Pakistan as a gateway to resupply U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
"I'm not concerned, no," Mattis told reporters, adding he had not gotten any indication from Pakistan that it might cut off those routes. Mattis traveled to the country last month.
"We're still working with Pakistan and we would restore the aid if we see decisive movements against the terrorists -- who are as much a threat against Pakistan as they are to us."
Mattis also pointed out Pakistan’s own contributions to the fight against terrorism, echoing the State Department, which acknowledged Thursday that tens of thousands of Pakistani troops have been killed fighting the Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and Daesh in recent years.
State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert announced Thursday that nearly all aid to Pakistan would be suspended after accusing the country of providing safe havens to terrorists fighting in Afghanistan.
It includes $255 million in Foreign Military Funding for the 2016 fiscal year as mandated by Congress, she said.
In addition, the Pentagon has suspended the entire $900 million of the Coalition Support Fund to Pakistan for fiscal 2017.
