US backs joint Afghan-Pakistan military group

The United States supports a decision by Afghanistan and Pakistan to form a joint military group that will address recent incidents along their shared border, a State Department official has said. "We call on both sides to continue to engage cooperatively to lower tensions on the border and to ensure the protection of the local population in the border regions," said State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. She added that "real progress" has been made in the relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan in the last year and cited the signing and implementing of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement and the formation of the Joint High Peace Commission. Washington this week suspended $800 million in security aid to Pakistan as it presses for greater counter-terrorism cooperation from Pakistan, which has faced intense criticism after Osama bin Laden was killed on its soil in May.