Pakistan Interested in US Military’s MRAP Vehicles from Afghan War

According to reports, American and Pakistani officials have been holding discussions about the disposal of American military hardware now that the war in Afghanistan is coming to an end.

The US military has over $7 billion worth of equipment which would be too costly to ship or fly back home. Given Pakistan’s proximity to Afghanistan, the country is interested in acquiring the mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles.

While nothing has been finalized as yet, the MRAP vehicles are of little use to US military forces as they exit Afghanistan. These vehicles were custom built to resist road-side bombs and explosive devices, reportedly costing up to $400,000 and $700,000.

Pakistani forces on the other hand, will be left to deal with insurgents and the Taliban, and the induction of MRAPs into their arsenal can significantly lower the casualty rate of their troops. However, Pakistani officials also made it clear that they will not be taking military hardware just for the sake of it or serving as a junkyard for American leftovers.

“We will not take it for the sake of just taking it, and we will not take it because it’s free. We will take it because we need it,” said one military official from Pakistan.

Pakistan has deployed around 150,000 troops along the Afghan border, and once the US forces exit, these troops will be tasked with keeping the insurgents in check.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=42919

Posted by Hunain Naseer on Mar 17 2014. Filed under Latest News, National. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.