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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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Posted on 01/21/2003 3:32:23 PM PST by knighthawk
ISLAMABAD: The United States donated radios and hundreds of vehicles Tuesday to help Pakistan patrol its porous frontier with Afghanistan, where US forces are hunting al-Qaeda and Taliban fugitives.
US Ambassador to Pakistan Nancy Powell oversaw the handover of 626 radios and 483 vehicles, including troop carriers, ambulances and pickup trucks, part of a $73-million fund to help Pakistan with border security, the American Embassy said in a news release.
The donations were accepted by Maj. Gen. Syed Sadaqat Ali Shah, the head of Pakistan's paramilitary Frontier Corps, at the force headquarters in the western city of Quetta, near the Afghan border, it said.
"This equipment will increase the presence, capabilities and effectiveness of public security forces that protect the basic interests of all Pakistanis," Powell was quoted saying.
"This donation will give the Frontier Corps ... the ability to patrol more safely the rugged terrain, to man check posts and barricades and to ensure that law and order extends to even the most isolated areas," she added.
Washington believes al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects have found shelter in western Pakistan, where local people share religious and tribal affinities with them.
Although Pakistan has been a key US ally in the Afghan campaign, efforts to capture terrorist suspects has been hindered by poor security along the mountainous and remote Pakistan-Afghan border.
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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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What makes you think these vehicles and radios aren't all bugged, tapped, and wired for listening and tracking?
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