ISLAMABAD : Pakistan has agreed to return the tail of the U.S. military helicopter that malfunctioned during the Osama bin Laden raid, U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry said Monday, part of a “specific series of steps” aimed at reducing suspicion between Islamabad and Washington, Washington Post reported.
Kerry (D-Pa.) came here to discuss the killing of bin Laden with top Pakistani leaders, in
meetings that could influence whether the United States continues to provide billions of dollars in aid to an ally that many in Washington believe harbors Islamist militants.The first step in that “roadmap,” as he described it, is that the the tail of the downed helicopter used in the raid will be returned to U.S. custody. The copter experienced mechanical difficulties when landing at bin Laden’s compound. Navy SEALs destroyed part of it before leaving, in an effort to keep the latest U.S. military technology a secret.
But the tail remained intact, and photos of it quickly made their way into public view.
Kerry’s name is widely associated in Pakistan with a recent U.S. assistance package meant to demonstrate a long-term strategic partnership. But with many in Washington focusing on Pakistan’s alleged collusion with insurgents, that funding is now on the line – a development Pakistanis interpret as proof of U.S. capriciousness.
Beyond the helicopter tail, Kerry did not outline the other steps to which officials had agreed. But he said he had talked to Pakistani officials about bin Laden’s apparent ability to live undetected in Abbottabad for years, as well as what Pakistan plans to do about containing other militant groups.
“I’ll say again and again: The make or break is real,” Kerry said. “There are members of Congress who aren’t confident that [the relationship] can be patched back together again. That is why actions, not words, are going to be critical to earning their votes.”
“My goal in coming here was not to apologize for what I consider to be a triumph against terorrism of unprecedented consequences,” Kerry said of raid on bin Laden’s compound. But, he added, “isolated episodes, no matter how profound, don’t jeopardize the larger relationship.”
Kerry said that in meetings with top civilian and military leaders, the U.S. and Pakistan had “agreed on a specific series of steps that will be implemented in order to get the relationship on track.”
