‘Half U.S. arms aid traded or sold’

Press, 4 December 1985, Page 13

‘Half U.S. arms aid traded or sold’

NZPA-Reuter New York Up to 50 per cent of United States military aid for anti-Soviet guerrillas in Afghanistan never reaches them, according to “Time” magazine. The magazine said that sources in Pakistan, from where the aid is distributed, estimated that about half the arms were traded, sold or hidden rather than given to guerrillas for use in antiSoviet raids. Pakistani military officers, Afghan leaders in exile in Pakistan and individual guerrillas were involved in the arms dealing,' “Time” said. Some of the equipment was appropriated by the Pakistani army for its own use, it added. Congress voted SUS47O million ($B2O million) this year in military aid for Afghan guerrillas. Most of the money is spent on arms shipments channelled through Pakistan. “Time” said that Reagan Administration officials confirmed the losses but disagreed over how significant they were. The magazine quoted a senior Pentagon official who estimated the losses were about 20 per cent and challenged the 50 per cent figure.