Pakistan Threatens to Pull Its Troops Back from Afghan Border After Substantial Cut in Military Aid by U.S.

ISLAMABAD, July 12 – Pakistan has shown its intentions to drawback its troops from the Afghan borders after U.S. has cut Pakistan’s military aid of $800 million.

After the U.S. announcement of aid cut Pakistan said on Monday the aid cut would not affect is operations against al-Qaeda and other militant groups; but only after few hours Pakistan has changed its stance on the issue.

The military aid of $800 million reportedly include about $300 million used to reimburse Pakistan for some costs of deploying more than 100,000 soldiers along the Afghan border, a source of Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants.

"I think the next step is, the government or the armed forces will move the soldiers from the border areas," Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar told the English-language Express 24/7 television.

"If at all things become difficult, we will just get our armed forces back."

The cut-down aid is about one-third of the total annual US military aid Islamabad receives. Much of the aid is intended to reimburse Pakistan for deploying troops along the Afghan border, where militants seek shelter.