Tuesday, June 09, 2009 WASHINGTON: The White House has expressed confidence in getting Congressional approval for a $100 billion Afghanistan and Iraq wars spending bill also containing funds to assist Pakistan meet its “critical needs” in economic, humanitarian and security areas. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Monday afternoon that the White House is working to get the congressional endorsement for the funding bill within four weeks before President Barack Obama attends G-8 Summit on July 8-10.Besides, seeking around one billion in economic and security assistance for Pakistan, President Obama last week asked Congress for additional $200 million in humanitarian assistance to help Islamabad deal with humanitarian crisis following displacement of more than 3 million people from Malakand conflict region. “I think the administration believes that we can work with Congress to ensure the necessary and important funding is there for our missions in Afghanistan and Iraq; that money and funding will be there for the important and critical needs of what is being done in Pakistan as well as the commitments that were made internationally relating to the IMF,” Gibbs said. When endorsed by Congress, the U.S. humanitarian aid for Pakistani internally displaced persons will stand at around $330 million. Both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have already passed their respective versions of the bill, which would make available more than $500 million in economic development and $400 million in security assistance for Islamabad under the new Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund. In addition, the administration will also get about a billion dollars for U.S. diplomatic missions and building embassy and consulates in Pakistan.
BAGHDAD: Nearly 500 U.S. Army combat engineers who specialize in clearing roads of explosives started shifting to southern Afghanistan."We are probably going to be the beginning of the influx you are going to see to Afghanistan," Lt. Col. Kevin Landers, commander of the Fort Carson, Colo.-based 4th Engineer Battalion, said as crews packed crates and cleaned vehicles for the flight to Kandahar.Obama has ordered 17,000 more U.S. soldiers and Marines to Afghanistan to bolster the 38,000 American troops already battling the resurgent Taliban."We are going to take this footprint out of Iraq," said Landers, whose battalion received word of its reassignment last month just after taking command of clearing roads in Baghdad of bombs and debris.
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