At last, some common sense in U.S. foreign policy. This means several hundred million dollars that the Taliban and the Haqqani Network won’t get. We can only hope that there will be much, much more of this sort of thing to come.
“U.S. suspends at least $900 million in security aid to Pakistan,” by Arshad Mohammed and Jonathan Landay, Reuters, January 4, 2018 (thanks to Inexion):
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States said on Thursday it was suspending at least $900 million in security assistance to Pakistan until it takes action against the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network militant groups.
The U.S. State Department announced the decision, saying it reflected the Trump administration’s frustration that Pakistan has not done more against the two groups that Washington says use sanctuaries in Pakistan to launch attacks in neighboring Afghanistan that have killed U.S., Afghan and other forces.
The department declined to say exactly how much aid would be suspended, saying the numbers were still being calculated and included funding from both the State and Defense departments.
Pakistan has long rejected accusations that it fails to tackle the militants battling the Kabul government and U.S.-led foreign forces in Afghanistan, from sanctuaries on its side of the border.
On Friday, Pakistan criticized what it called “shifting goalposts” and said the U.S. suspension of aid was counter-productive.
U.S. officials said two main categories of aid are affected: foreign military financing (FMF), which funds purchases of U.S. military hardware, training and services, and coalition support funds (CSF), which reimburse Pakistan for counter-terrorism operations. They said they could make exceptions to fund critical U.S. national security priorities.
CSF funds, which fall under Defense Department authority, are covered by the freeze, said Pentagon spokesman Commander Patrick Evans, saying Congress authorized up to $900 million in such money for Pakistan for fiscal year 2017, which ended Sept. 30. None of that money has yet been disbursed.
The freeze also covers $255 million in FMF for fiscal year 2016, which falls under State Department authority and whose suspension has already been announced, as well as unspecified amounts of FMF that went unspent in earlier fiscal years.
Briefing reporters, U.S. officials stressed the suspension did not affect civilian aid to Pakistan and that the money could go through if Islamabad took decisive action against the groups.
“Our hope is that they will see this as a further indication of this administration’s immense frustration with the trajectory of our relationship and that they need to be serious about taking the steps we have asked in order to put it on more solid footing,” a senior State Department official told reporters.
“We’re hoping that Pakistan will see this as an incentive, not a punishment,” he added.
The Trump administration briefed Congress on its decision on Wednesday….
StellaSaidSo says
Nice work, Mr President!
About time the civilised world stopped funding barbarism.
mortimer says
Exactly. Your point is the essence of LOGIC. Don’t feed the crocodiles. Don’t feed the sharks. They will get bigger and their teeth will get sharper.
Lu says
Amen to that!
Bob says
Sharia May – please take note!
Jim B says
FInally some real leadership in this direction! At last a President who meant what he promised.
sharyati says
Wow Mr Trump, great work. At last after years this is happening. Not sure though whether this would decrease Jihadi terrorism from Pakistan. China may continue to support it. But this is a start
J D S says
This is just a drop in the barrel. Much of our foreign aid is wasted…wasted because when it reaches its supposedly right spot it has been stripped down to so little that, if the dollars actually could do some good, there is none there to to any good.
Just think….all that foreign aid dollars could be used here in the U.S……wait a minute…..wouldn’t those dollars go through the same “strip down” as foreign aid?? Probably,
sharyati says
So you say there is corruption in the US? Some middle man likely to swallow it on the way to the intended place?
gravenimage says
Corruption is the *best* you can hope for in Dar-al-Islam. If the politicians are honest, more of the money is bound to go to fund violent Jihad.
J D S says
This is just a drop in the barrel. Much of our foreign aid is wasted…wasted because when it reaches its supposedly right spot it has been stripped down to so little that, if the dollars actually could do some good, there is none there to to any good.
Just think….all that foreign aid dollars could be used here in the U.S……wait a minute…..wouldn’t those dollars go through the same “strip down” as foreign aid?? Probably,
Ray Jarman says
Better yet, J.D.S., why not let hard working Americans retain the money ourselves? I worked at State for over twenty-five years and believe me when you have no idea how tax payer money is thrown away by USAID.
Once in Belize I was talking with a contractor who refused a very lucrative contract from USAID to build a bridge and road to enable a rich farmer who eventually built the road and Bridge himself. The contractor told USAID that if any US money went to fund the project, he would go to congress. This kind of fraud happens all the time at USAID and to make matters worse, they never follow up on money given to governments or private enterprises to ensure that the money at least goes to the intended project. In Zimbabwe, Mugabe forced the US government to pay an excise tax being given to maintain his luxurious life style. This is not an isolated incident either.
I would like for Congress enact rules which would state that no money be provided to nations that possess a military with exceptions like Israel, Jordon and maybe a future Kurdistan. By Congress enacting a law viz. an executive change, another Hussein could not change the rule with a pen. Why should any South American nation be given our money when they off set infrastructure, medical and other needs with American money while they could use the money used for a military to pay for the afore mentioned needs. The last time I visited South America, no country had declared war on their neighbor. This is especially true for countries like Peru that voted against Israel and America at the UN condemning the move of OUR embassy.
I agree with you that American money should not be given to Pakistan, especially when Christians are being killed daily because the cult of the pernicious pedophilic murderer said it was permitted by allah.
Sherman D Brown says
Tell Pakistan to grow more poppies & support themselves. Why must the US pay aid monies to everyone?
JoeDokes says
It depends on who you believe. According to Seymour Hersh, Pakistan capture Bin Laden and then we went in an executed him. Or maybe they were sheltering him. In order to know what to think, we would have to learn the truth about these questions, which seems impossible these days.
gravenimage says
Osama bin Laden “hid out” for years in a high-profile compound in the shadow of Pakistan’s most prestigious military school. Imagine if a wanted criminal could do the same at the gates of West Point without anyone noticing? Not even the Pakistanis are *that* incompetent…
Carolyne says
We also need to demand that the doctor who pointed us to Bin Laden be released from jail and brought to the US as a refugee from a repressive government Asa Bibi, too, who’s only crime was to be a Christian. Our bribery money to Pakistan should be incrementally reduced until these two heroic people are released and allowed to leave that hellhole.
Of course the governments of Bill Clinton and Hussein Obama knew where he was from time to time and refuse to take action. It was only after Obama had established “Plausible deniability” for himself that he allowed our seals to kill Osama.
mummymovie says
That’s a lot of money, which unfortunately amounts to yet more incentive for rogue states to try to develop nuclear programs. A long-term bribe payment, basically- Disgusting!
Our allies in India will be happy about this new reality.
Good move, Don!
We applaud you: You’re starting more and more to look like a counter-jihad president after all!
sharyati says
Sure mummymovie we are happy and in a way feel vindicated, that at least one nation in the West has realized it is supporting a Jihadi nation, after having shouted for 30 years the same thing over the roof tops.. But hope he will not release the funds based on some other pretext.
balam says
A step n the right direction by the UNITED STATES. No Muslim country could ever be trusted for its loyalty.Following the teaching of their holy book ,they can’t help hating the JEWS and CHRISTIANS .They are .Completely BRAINWASHED Pakistan is systematically eliminating the poor Christians with its HIDEOUS BLASPHEMY LAWS ,which are like PSYCHOLOGICAL GAS CHABERS OF HITLER ,killing them in Churches and forcing them to convert into the cult of Islam. Pakistan deserves NO MORE AID from any Christian majority country because it will never change its barbaric treatment of its Christian minority who are offered the most menial jobs through News Papers . How can a LEOPARD change its SPOTS? Shall we call that ‘CHRIST-O-PHOBIA’?
Don McKellar says
“My bill will take the money that would have gone to Pakistan and put it in an infrastructure fund to build roads and bridges here at home,” Rand Paul tweeted.
“Good idea Rand!” came the president’s response.
An enormous about of good can be done in America for Americans with the untold billions squandered away as nothing more than Islamic jizyah payments. That’s they way moslems abroad see it, anyways. And now America has a president who sees them for who they are and speaks to truth.
mike9a says
Exactly!! Why to send into black hole, keep it here and give it to ppl, most of US would know what to do with it.
Carolyne says
Someone told me last night that the last big project we had completed to bolster our infrastructure was Hoover Dam fifty years ago.
dumbledoresarmy says
Excellent.
It’s a pity the UK won’t listen to the pleas of the British Pakistani Christian Association – which has been urging a cut in UK ‘aid’ to Pakistan for some years now, arguing that Pakistan’s horrible and ever-worsening record of violations of the human rights of minorities, especially non-Islamic minorities, should trigger a reduction or cessation of the ‘aid’ it receives from countries such as Britain – and cut off the ‘aid’ that *Britain* gives to Pakistan. (And if Britain had never allowed Pakistani Muslims to settle in the UK, thousands upon thousands of vulnerable British girls would not have been seduced, bribed, threatened, ‘groomed’ and raped and tormented and pimped by mostly-Pakistani Muslim men; so a cessation in *immigration* of Pakistani Musilms into the West would *also* be a damn good idea.
Terry Gain says
The West is doomed to become Islamic if it doesn’t end Muslim immigration. Muslims are resolute.
balam says
Very well put!!!!
Baucent says
Another common sense decision by the new US Administration. There were few, if any, good reasons to continue the dollar pipeline to Pakistan. All Pakistan can offer is threats that things will get worst if you don’t pay. Long overdue to call their bluff and cast them adrift. Sure, they will run off to court Russia or China, but both those nations will find in time Pakistan is not worth the trouble.
Ibrahim itace muhammed says
Pakistan has already shifted its closer friendly relationship to china and Russia Instead of hegemonic and treacherous evil united states.Muslims should no longer trust this evîl entity, which exhibits hatred to all muslims, whether moderates or radicals.
Let savage devil Trump stop all the so-called security aid to Pakistan. Let him use the money to pay little girls he has been sexually assaulting. It Will be à great relief to Pakistan to enable them look inward to develope their military technology.
StellaSaidSo says
LOL Ibrahim the Idiot reference to sexual abuse of little girls. Projection much?! What a demented fool he is!
LeftisruiningCanada says
Interesting isn’t it.
Ibrahim offers no evidence that Mr Trump likes little girls, while his own “Holy Scripture” tells him all about The Prophet (pbhuuhhuhuuuuu) marrying and….enjoying….a pre teen girl.
strange.
Carolyne says
Ibrahim often uses sexual references to try to make his enigmatic points. But since Islam is basically about sex, often perverted sex, it isn’t surprising. I think Ibrahim isn’t getting any, so he dreams about it.
balam says
Are you pointing your finger at Mohammad as well who molested little AYESHA who was just a child of only 9 and he was an OLD STUD at 54? SHAME ON YOU!!!!
Shmoovie says
Ib Mo:
Good for Pockistahn.
Such *faithful* islamic countries should be refusing money from an evil country like America, anyway– so they won’t miss it when it’s gone.
You and your fellow followers are the worst hypocrites, among other things.
LeftisruiningCanada says
Have fun with China, they sure do loooove mooslims.
katherine says
Get real – USD900 million a year will buy the entire bordello-in-the-sky. Besides Trump is no Mohd. so he doesn’t have the strength of 1000 men – nor Clinton’s inclination for little girls in jet-airliners.
gravenimage says
Muslims hate all Infidels–not just Americans. But they will milk them all for Jizya, if they think they can get away with it…
Joanne says
We should not give aid to any Muslim country. If their systems of government and economy are superior, then they should not need it. Funny though that there is not a single place in the Muslim world that sounds like an appealing place to live and Muslims are coming in droves to the west.
LeftisruiningCanada says
Some part of Turkey are not terrible.
StellaSaidSo says
Not yet. But they’re working on it.
LeftisruiningCanada says
Hmmm, sad thought.
Wonder how long it will be until folk can’t have a BBQ with their friends at a campsite by the Med with a few bottle of raki on hand…..
gravenimage says
Turkey is fast re-Islamizing under Erdogan.
Buraq says
What’s the big deal with the Trump administration withholding US taxpayers’ largesse for Pakistan?
In the 1970s, President Carter suspended all aid to Pakistan (except food aid) in response to Pakistan’s decision to construct a uranium enrichment facility.
The Obama administration also withheld more than one-third of all military assistance to Pakistan – aid worth around $800m. Why? Because Pakistan was hiding bin Laden.
Trump is right; the Pakistan government has taken the West for fools. But Trump is not the first to withhold aid to Pakistan.
Gbox says
A good step in halting the transfer of wealth from the US to the Middle East.
Bodega says
Good and the more we withhold the better. Why in the world we are spending any of our potential infrastructure repair money in the near East or potential money for our vulnerable populations, I don’t understand. What are we? Stupid? Pandering to the Saudis. What is it?????
LeftisruiningCanada says
Islamic violence
is always the kaffirs fault.
Manos says
Good job Trump. I would like to see Trump bomb any Muslim shit hole that kills and persecute Christians. Besides The EU and UK funds Pakistan. Full of filthy pakis in UK, France, Greece, Italy, etc.
Trump should also cut military support for UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Turkey, Greece, Albania, Sweeden, Norway,
eagle says
One should wonder where a non-profit religion of piece organization gets all this money for the following? Current employment opportunities at CAIR include:
[NOTE: For details on each employment opportunity, go to: http://cair.com/careers
* Operations Manager
* Research and Advocacy Director
* Human Resources Director
* Staff Attorney
* Communications Manager
* Graphic Designer
* Junior Accountant
* Executive Assistant
* Chapter Support Specialist – Civil Rights
* Chapter Outreach Manager
LeftisruiningCanada says
Do they have an equal opportunities policy?
I might apply if they do.
gravenimage says
U.S. suspends at least $900 million in security aid to Pakistan
……………………..
Excellent news! Finally, some sanity.
dumbledoresarmy says
Just cut ’em off. Cut the ‘aid’. All of it. And curtail any ‘trade’; anything Pakistan can do in the way of, say, cheap goods such as cotton towels, India can do better. And STOP all entry of Pakistani mohammedans into the USA, henceforward; deport all Pakistani Mohammedans currently in the USA who have not got US citizenship; if some have dual citizenship, remove their US citizenship and send them back to Pakistan. Pakistan can’t be trusted. Period. Pakistani Mohammedans – like any other variety of Mohammedan – cannot be trusted. End of.
Then, if not already in possession of a list of *all* mohammedan-majority suffused-with-Islam countries that receive *any* sort of US largesse, make such a list. Place the most obviously-dangerous ones at the top; and start working down through that list, cutting them off, one by one by one. Turkey and the Abominable House of Saud should be next up. And Islamic Egypt. Turkey shouldn’t be in NATO. Fethullah Gulen should not be in the USA. The ‘Gulen Movement’ shouldn’t be operating in the USA, any more than the Muslim Brotherhood or any of its wholly-owned subfranchises; they need to be identified and rooted out and all identifiable operatives and agents given the boot, back to their mohammedan countries of origin.
Huge housecleaning job is necessary.
But.. **think of the money you’ll save** both in the short term and in the long term! Reduce the number of Mohammedans in the USA – by kicking out all non-citizens, to start with, and stopping ALL further entry of identifiable mohammedans – and END the hundreds of millions of dollars spent annually as the equivalent of jizya or tribute – and you’ll save money in all directions. Reduced cost of homeland security, for one thing, if there are fewer mohammedans within the gates. And money NOT poured into mohammedan maws abroad – where it finances jihad, one way or another – is money that can go toward clearing the national debt, or else repairing degraded infrastructure so that Americans can start rebuilding and producing again. Money not being poured down mohammedan rat-holes is money that can circulate profitably *at home*.
Al Yetman says
President Trump loves th US more than any former president. O’bumma seemed to hate the US more than any previous president.