Pakistan, US Sign NATO Supply Deal

Posted July 31st, 2012 at 11:10 am (UTC-5)
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Pakistan and the United States have signed an agreement outlining the movement of NATO supply convoys through Pakistan and into Afghanistan through the end of 2015.

The deal signed Tuesday formalizes an arrangement that has allowed the U.S. to supply its troops that have been fighting in the Afghan war for over a decade. It comes as international combat troops continue their withdrawal from Afghanistan over the next two years.

With the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, the United States will release over $1 billion in frozen military aid to Pakistan. The agreement bars weapons from being transported.

Earlier this month, Pakistan re-opened its two border crossings into Afghanistan following a seven-month shutdown. Islamabad closed the NATO supply lines after U.S.-led coalition airstrikes mistakenly killed 24 Pakistani troops near the Afghan border.

U.S. and Pakistani officials signed the Memorandum of Understanding during a ceremony Tuesday in Rawalpindi.

On Wednesday, Pakistan's spy chief is set to meet with his American counterpart in Washington.

Inter-Services Intelligence agency head Lieutenant General Zaheerul Islam is expected to hold counterterrorism cooperation and intelligence sharing talks with CIA Director David Petraeus.