US to supply Pakistan with warplanes

The US has pledged to supply Islamabad with modern warplanes by June in an effort to step up the fight against militants in Pakistan’s tribal regions.

The assurance was given by US officials in a bilateral security cooperation working group meeting in Rawalpindi on Friday, a Press TV correspondent reported.

F-16 fighter jets, the Lockheed P3C maritime surveillance aircraft, Cobra helicopters and the Oliver Hazard frigate are among the fleet of warplanes and frigates due to be supplied to Pakistan.

Meanwhile, General Stanley A. McChrystal, the commander of International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, met with General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan’s military, while on a visit to the country’s military headquarters.

The two officials discussed a series of issues, ranging from the current situation in Afghanistan and the new US strategy in the country to regional security and the ongoing operations against militants, Pakistan’s Army spokesman said.

The senior military officials also vowed to upgrade the level of intelligence exchanges between the two countries.

Pakistan’s relations with neighboring Afghanistan remain tense as Kabul accuses Islamabad of not doing enough to stop militants from crossing the border into Afghanistan.