US has begun reducing troops from Pakistan after official word: Pentagon

WASHINGTON: US has said it has begun pulling out American troops out of Pakistan, after Islamabad officially asked to reduce troops from its soil amid tensions over American raid that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

The Pakistan government had asked for scale down of US troop contingent of more than 200 men from the country, earlier this month, Pentagon spokesman Col Dave Lapan said.

"We were recently (within past two weeks) notified in writing that the government of Pakistan wished for the US to reduce its footprint in Pakistan. Accordingly, we have begun those reductions," he said.

The Pentagon spokesmen did not mention the number of troops to be pulled out. Most of the US forces present on the Pakistani soil are special forces that train and advice Pakistan's Paramilitary Frontier Corp, engaged in fighting Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaeda and other foreign militants in the restive tribal region, bordering Afghanistan.