Pakistan to rejoin US military training suspended two years ago

WASHINGTON: The United States will allow Pakistan to rejoin a military training program suspended two years ago when President Donald Trump froze security aid to the country.

Resuming the program, which represents only a part of the halted aid, is one sign of warming relations between Washington and Islamabad.

Trump hosted Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House in July, and the US has several times welcomed Pakistani help in negotiations with the Afghan Taliban.

According to a US State Department spokesperson, the freeze "authorized narrow exceptions for programs that support vital US national security interests."

Islamabad has denied accusations leveled by the US administration and at the time called it "counterproductive" to threaten security aid, which Trump froze prior to PM Khan´s election in August 2018.

The US administration "has approved the resumption of the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program for Pakistan as one such exception, subject to congressional approval," the spokesperson said.