US designates Afghanistan as major non-NATO ally
The United States has designated Afghanistan as its major non-NATO ally, a status which will help Kabul get American security training and cooperation.President Barack Obama issued a memorandum for the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to officially declare Afghanistan as the major non-NATO ally.Later, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the designation for Afghanistan during a visit to Kabul, where she met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.In Washington, the State Department explained some of the privileges of MNNA status, which the US has given to its close partners including Pakistan.These privileges include eligibility for training, loans of equipment for cooperative research and development, and ultimately Foreign Military Financing for commercial leasing of certain defense articles.
Afghanistan and Pakistan pose a major security threat to the United States, where Al-Qaeda and its affiliate terrorist groups are seeking to regain territorial control, President Barack Obama's nominee to be ambassador to Kabul said on Thurday.