Read more: Afghanistan highlights link between religious soft power and Gulf states security Anadolu Agency With no formal agreement currently in place, the US runs the risk of Pakistan refusing entry to US military aircraft and drones en route to Afghanistan.” The third source said that an agreement was discussed when US officials visited Pakistan, but it’s not yet clear what Pakistan wants or how much the US would be willing to give in return. “The air corridor through Pakistan to Afghanistan may become even more critical if and when the US resumes flights into Kabul to fly out American citizens and others who remain in the country. “The US military currently uses Pakistan’s airspace to reach Afghanistan as part of ongoing intelligence-gathering efforts, but there is no formal agreement in place to ensure continued access to a critical piece of airspace necessary for the US to reach Afghanistan. ” Having no US troops in Afghanistan makes that harder”. The briefing comes as the White House is still trying to ensure that it can carry out counterterrorism operations against ISIS-K and other adversaries in Afghanistan now that there is no longer a US presence on the ground for the first time in two decades after the NATO withdrawal from the country. Biden promised ISIS-K will ‘pay’. “But the negotiations are ongoing, and the terms of the agreement, which has not been finalized, could still change. Pakistan has expressed a desire to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in exchange for assistance with its counterterrorism efforts and help in managing the relationship with India, one of the sources said. “The Biden administration has told lawmakers that the US is nearing a formalized agreement with Pakistan for use of its airspace to conduct military and intelligence operations in Afghanistan, according to the sources. Read more: How can the US ensure peace and stability in Afghanistan? CNN: 23 October 2021 Other former US officials echoed that assessment. The United States Armed Forces completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan on 30 August 2021, marking the end of the 20-year long war in Afghanistan. Richard Olson, a former ambassador, said the US might regard such action as a “casus belli,” or grounds for war. Since closing Pakistan’s airspace would hinder America’s ability to invade Afghanistan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks by Al Qaeda and Taliban- Al Qaeda’s Afghan hosts, the Bush administration threatened to bomb Pakistan “back to the stone age” if the country did not cooperate with America’s war on Afghanistan. During this period the Coalition forces were forced to use the Northern Distribution Network. The land routes and air corridor were reopened in July 2012. The significance of the Pakistani land and air routes was highlighted when, after the Salala incident in November 2011 in which the Coalition forces killed 24 Pakistan Army soldiers, Pakistan closed both its land and air routes to the coalition forces for eight months. Read more: Indian port refuses to handle cargo from Pakistan, Afghanistan & Iran These routes were longer and costlier than those passing through Pakistan
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