Pakistan asks U.S. for advanced attack helicopters

Pakistan has asked the United States to provide it with attack helicopters to help improve ongoing operations against Taliban militants in the tribal areas, local media reported Thursday.

The 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in arms that Pakistan has requested includes new helicopter gunships, armed helicopters, and utility and cargo helicopters, according to the local newspaper Daily Times.

The Pakistani Military list also includes a request for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), among the newest and deadliest high-tech arms.

Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said that the U.S. government was aware of its ally's military equipment list, the report said.

Senator John McCain, a top ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and a former U.S. commander in Afghanistan, also view Pakistan's request favourably, according to a report that appeared in The Washington Times on Wednesday.

According to media reports, during the last three years, U.S. civilian and security assistance to Pakistan has totaled more than 4 billion dollars. Specific security assistance includes 14 F-16 fighter aircraft, 10 Mi-17 helicopters, more than 450 vehicles for Pakistan's Frontier Corps, hundreds of night vision goggles and so on.

Source: Xinhua