Cut Off

The White House plans to cut off funding and support for a number of Pakistani Army units accused of killing prisoners and civilians during counterterrorism operations against the Taliban, according to a recent report in The New York Times. The administration's efforts are driven by mandates in the Leahy Amendment, which states the United States must cut off any foreign military assistance to any country accused of human rights violations, the article states.

Earlier this year, a videotape showing men dressed in Pakistani Army uniforms executing six civilians at an undisclosed location was released on the Internet. Even though an official inquiry into the incident was launched by Pakistani Army chief Gen. Asgfaq Kayani, The United States opted to withdraw its support for Pakistani forces, as mandated by U.S. law.

While ongoing joint counterterror operations between Pakistani troops and U.S. Special Operations Forces in the Swat Valley and South Warziristan will likely be affected by the move, the White House's decision could also derail a proposed sale of unmanned aerial vehicles to Islamabad.

In April, InsideDefense.com reported that Pentagon officials and their Pakistani counterparts were working a new slate of requirements to identify which unmanned aerial system being used by U.S. forces in Afghanistan will be sold to the Pakistani military.

Tactical-level drones -- particularly the Army's Shadow unmanned aerial system -- were among the many capabilities Pakistani Army Chief of Staff Ashfaq Parvez Kayani requested during a meeting with DOD officials in Washington, a senior defense official told reporters during a March 29 Pentagon briefing."We are working with [the Pakistanis] right now in order to correctly identify the requirements and match the best [UAS] platform to their needs," the official said.

During a trip to Islamabad in January, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the United States was prepared to sell a dozen RQ-7 Shadow UAS to the Pakistani military.