The US ground and airlines communication to Afghanistan through Pakistan remain open for now, the Pentagon said today, hinting that it is weighing on alternatives should the lines be closed. "As of now, the ground and airlines communication through Pakistan to support our forces in Afghanistan remain open, remain working, so I think that's a pretty strong signal of Pakistan's position," Joint Staff Director Lt Gen Kenneth F McKenzie told reporters at a news conference. He, however, refused to give any further details. "It varies and I'm not prepared to give you a precise figure. We have a number of alternatives should those lines be closed, and again there's not something I'm going to be able to go into in any detail," McKenzie said. Pakistan remains a crucial gateway for US military supplies for landlocked Afghanistan. Presently, the Pakistan-US relations are under strain following the Trump administration's suspension of USD 2 billion in security aid to Islamabad. The US believes that Pakistan is not doing enough to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network terror groups. The Pentagon also refused to entertain questions on reported drone strikes by the US in Pakistan. It underscored the importance of Pakistan in resolving the Afghanistan crisis. "We've said many times that this is an inflection point in the relationship.
We want Pakistan to be a part of the solution in the region. This is the South Asia strategy, and it's about regional security, and we want Pakistan to work with us, because terrorism is a threat to both -- to all of us," chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana White told reporters in response to a question. She said the US wants to take Pakistan onboard as far as the region's security was concerned. "The administration has taken a regional approach and Pakistan should be a part of that solution," White said.
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