America, Pakistan and the $26m barbed wire bill

US embassy cables allege millions of dollars of US military aid to fight insurgents was diverted to Pakistan government

Hundreds of millions of dollars in American military aid to Pakistan earmarked for fighting Islamist militants was not used for that purpose, US diplomats discovered after conversations with Pakistan's military top brass.

Pakistan's army chief said the money, including $26m (£15m) for barbed wire and $70m (£43m) to defend against non-existent Taliban warplanes, had been diverted into the Islamabad government's coffers, according to leaked cables to Washington.

The row, which played out over several years, reflects the tense, transactional relationship between reluctant allies. Closed-door conversations revolve around money and military supplies. Mutual suspicion abounds.

"The relationship is one of co-dependency we grudgingly admit," the embassy noted in February 2009. "Pakistan knows the US cannot afford to walk away; the US knows Pakistan cannot survive without our support."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/30/america-pakistan-barbed-wire-bill

Paying retail, 26 MILLION dollars would that much barbed wire.

What a waste.