US official: Uzbeks allow transit to Afghanistan

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan (AP) - A U.S. military official says Uzbekistan will allow non-lethal U.S. military cargo heading to Afghanistan to transit through the country.

Rear Admiral Mark Harnitchek says some of the goods will transported onward through Tajikistan, which also shares a border with Afghanistan.

He said Friday that the deal was reached during a meeting with Tajik officials.

U.S. Embassy officials declined to comment, as did the Uzbek Foreign Ministry.

Washington is struggling to guarantee alternate routes for supplies headed to Afghanistan as militants step up attacks on convoys traveling through Pakistan, the primary U.S. supply route.

The issue has been complicated by Kyrgyzstan's decision to evict U.S. forces from an air base used to support Afghan operations.
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