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Afghan troop surge may destabilise Pakistan: US

WASHINGTON: The top US military officer said on Thursday he is concerned that the US troop build-up to roust insurgents from Afghanistan could further destabilise neighbouring Pakistan. However, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm Mike Mullen, speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the military planning is under way to try to avoid that. Mullen said he believes the upcoming increase of 21,000 US forces in Afghanistan “is about right” for the new strategy of trying to quell the insurgency and speed up training of Afghan security forces. Mullen urged the US lawmakers to support military and economic assistance programmes for Pakistan in a manner that helps build trust with the South Asian nation and advance US goals to get rid of Al Qaeda threat in the region. Mullen told members of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the ongoing US engagement with Pakistan is yielding promise despite a mix of economic and security challenges facing the key regional country. He urged patience in terms of results from the partnership with Pakistan. agencies

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