Obama to propose $2.8 bln additional military aid to Pak

Obama plans to propose spending roughly $2.8 billion in aid for the Pakistani military, as he steps up the U.S.-led campaign to battle extremists along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. That money would be in addition to the civilian aid -- $1.5 billion a year for five years -- that the president called for Friday. A defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told media the money will be dedicated exclusively to "equipping, training, and building infrastructure directly related to counterinsurgency operations."Gen. David Petraeus told media in an interview Monday the plan will be called the "Pakistani Counterinsurgency Capability Fund". Officials were quick to point out that U.S. commanders would have control over how the money is spent, and that none of it would be spent in a way that would give Pakistan a greater capacity to attack another country, such as India. The money would be distributed over five years, with the first $400 million of it added to the fiscal year 2009 supplemental request for war fighting. Another $700 million would be in the fiscal 2010 base budget. Then $575 million would be spent each year from fiscal 2011 through 2013.In his speech on Friday, President Obama described Pakistan's lawless border region as "the most dangerous place in the world."

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