"No anticipation that US forces in Pakistan will go down to zero": Pentagon

Washington, June 3(ANI): The United States has said it does not anticipate that its military footprint in Pakistan would be reduced to "zero".

Pakistan had asked the United States to reduce its troop presence in the country after US Special Forces killed al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden inside Pakistani territory.

The raid sparked deep anger in Pakistan, further damaging its already strained ties with the US over stepped-up drone strikes in Pakistan's militant-infested tribal region, disagreements over the war in neighbouring Afghanistan and the Raymond Davis issue.

US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen has acknowledged "a very significant cutback" in American military footprint in Pakistan, saying that this reduction is "tied to the difficult time" both nations are going through.

However, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan indicated at an off-camera briefing that US military footprint in Pakistan was unlikely to be scaled down to nil.

"There is no anticipation that US forces in Pakistan will go down to zero. They (Pakistan) had asked us to reduce our footprint and there are ongoing discussions about what those numbers are," The News quoted Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan, as telling reporters at the briefing.

"These are ongoing discussions that we have with the Pakistanis. It's not that finite," he added.

Currently, there are about 200 to 300 US military personnel present in Pakistan.

Lapan said that the number of US personnel in Pakistan depended on the type of operation and cooperation Washington had with Islamabad at any given point. (ANI)