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Pakistan to Arm Local Militias
Insurgency strategy, successful for US in Iraq, boosts American confidence in ally
By Ambreen Ali
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Posted Oct 23, 08 10:32 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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Pakistan plans to give weapons to thousands of tribal fighters along its border with Afghanistan, the Washington Post reports—a strategy that has helped the US in Iraq. The move to link the militias—called lashkars—to anti-Taliban efforts is a boost to US confidence in Pakistan’s military efforts, and commanders say they’re seeing results across the border in Afghanistan.
While the US is offering training support, and has sent $10 billion over the past seven years for counterterrorism, a Pakistani official says the new effort is independent: “The Americans are not giving us a bloody cent. This is us, doing it ourselves.” US officials caution, meanwhile, that Pakistan has much work to on broader security and economic issues in the border region.