WASHINGTON, May 30: A US-backed paramilitary force in Pakistan’s border area may be aiding Taliban fighters, according to American officials who say the support may cause Congress to freeze some security funds for Islamabad.

Signs that Pakistan’s Frontier Corps is helping Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked groups cross into Afghanistan only exacerbate US frustration over Pakistan’s plans to secure peace deals with fighters in that region, where Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is thought to hide.

“We cannot rely on Pakistan to stop the traffic of terrorists crossing that border despite the strong statements of its leaders,” said Senator Carl Levin, the Michigan Democrat who chairs the US Senate’s committee on armed forces.

Levin and some US defence officials said Taliban fighters may also be getting assistance from Pakistan’s army.

“If that’s our intelligence assessment, then there’s a real question as to whether or not we should be putting money into strengthening the Frontier Corps on the Pakistan side because if anything there’s some evidence that the Pakistan army is providing support to the Taliban,” Levin told journalists after visiting Afghanistan and Pakistan this week.

The United States set up a programme last year to train and equip the paramilitary Frontier Corps, which is recruited from the tribal areas to counter militants.

Under the programme, Washington planned to supply equipment like helmets and flak vests to the Frontier Corps, but would not provide weapons or ammunition, the Pentagon said last year.

US Army trainers would instruct the paramilitary force and Washington allocated $52.6 million for the programme last year.

A defence spending authorisation bill for the 2009 fiscal year, which starts Oct 1, includes $75 million for Frontier Corps training, but Levin said questions about the force could lead him to reconsider those funds.

‘STRATEGIC CHALLENGE’: Uncertainty about the Frontier Corps’ allegiances and the security impact of peace deals Pakistan strikes with Al Qaeda-linked groups in its tribal areas is raising worry among US commanders and defence officials.—Reuters