Afghans, Pakistan, US to hold first joint drill

KABUL, Apr 24 (Reuters) The US military plans to hold its first joint military exercises with Afghanistan and Pakistan along the border of the two countries, a spokesperson for the military said today.

The manoeuvres, called Inspired Gambit, will be in the form of an ''air assault'' and are expected to be launched next month, Colonel Laurent Fox told a regular news briefing.

Fox gave no reason for the exercise to be held now, but said the US military and the countries needed to cooperate closely to fight an insurgency by the Taliban and Islamic militant allies such as Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

But the exercise comes amid a rise in attacks by militants in recent weeks in areas of Afghanistan close to the border with Pakistan, and in Pakistan's tribal area of north Waziristan.

Bin Laden and other militants are believed to be hiding in the porous tribal border area.

Earlier this month, Pakistan's army said it killed an Egyptian al Qaeda member, wanted for involvement in the 1998 bombing of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, along with six other militants in Waziristan, where close to 300 militant tribesmen have been killed in fighting since early March.

Afghan officials have often complained that since the Taliban's 2001 ouster, insurgents have used Pakistani soil to launch attacks inside Afghanistan.

Both Islamabad and Kabul have accused each other of not doing enough to curb the cross-border movement of militants along the border areas.

US-led forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and overthrew the Taliban government after its leaders refused to hand over bin Laden, who masterminded September 11 attacks on the United States.

A tripartite commission involving the US military, Afghanistan and Pakistan held a regular meeting last week.

A joint statement said the three had agreed to enhance ''communication and coordination'' to fight the militants in the border area, something President George W Bush called for during a visit to Islamabad last month.

Reuters SHB VP2308