US to step up training

Washington: The US military plans to accelerate its counter-insurgency training and provision of equipment for Pakistan's armed forces as part of a five-year, $2 billion US-Pakistani effort to help stabilise the country, senior US and Pakistani officials said.

The enhanced cooperation will include US military assistance toward counter-insurgency training, technical gear and assistance to improve the Pakistani military's intelligence gathering and its air and ground mobility, the officials said.

If requested by Pakistan, it could also involve US Special Operations Forces working with the Pakistani military as it launches "more aggressive" actions against insurgents in northwest tribal areas, said Ambassador Dell Dailey, the State Department's counter-terrorism coordinator.

The plan will involve about $150 million from the United States each year, Dailey said.