The Pakistani government’s decision to re-open routes used by coalition forces to move supplies in and out of Afghanistan will cut the price tag of the Afghan campaign by approximately $70 to $100 million each month, according to Pentagon spokesperson Captain John Kirby.
The supply routes were initially closed last November after a U.S. airstrike within Pakistan killed 24 of the country’s soldiers. The U.S. maintains that their forces were engaged.
The announcement to re-open the routes came Tuesday following an apology from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Kirby told reporters Thursday that several trucks overseen by contractors have already started moving through the routes.
The U.S. military has emphasized that the closure did not affect the Afghan campaign. However, General John Allen, who oversees coalition forces in Afghanistan, said during a press conference in May that the costs of using alternative routes in the north was likely twice as high as the Pakistan network.
