US to deliver laser-guided bomb kits to Pakistan

The US Air Force plans to deliver 1,000 sophisticated laser-guided bomb kits to Pakistan in an effort to encourage the country to take a tougher stand against the pro-Taliban militants.

Lt. Col. Jeffry Glenn, an Air Force spokesman, said Tuesday that the US also plans to provide Pakistan with 18 new F-16 fighter jets by next June, the Associated Press reported.

US officials claim that this month’s shipment of the kits would enable Islamabad to use sophisticated laser technology to guide the bombs to specific targets.

The Pakistani air force has been playing a crucial role in the major military offensive against the militants on the Afghan border.

The US military contribution underscores Washington’s interest in gaining further influence in the only nuclear-armed Muslim nation in the world under the pretext of fighting terrorism and militancy in the region.

Observers in the region, however, argue that since the US military engagement began in Afghanistan in 2001, terrorism and militancy in the region have increased drastically, leading to thousands of civilian casualties.