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U.K. to Bring Afghan Equipment Home via Uzbekistan

LONDON — British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said Britain had struck a deal with Uzbekistan to help bring back 4 billion pounds ($6.2 billion) of equipment from Afghanistan as operations draw down.

Hammond told lawmakers Wednesday that Britain had struck a deal with Uzbekistan because the only current transit route for equipment, through Pakistan, "would be hard-pressed to meet the capacity demands" of the drawdown, which for Britain involves about 2,500 vehicles and 6,500 storage containers.

Under the arrangement, some 450,000 pounds of surplus equipment, namely Land Rover spare parts and Leyland DAF trucks, will be donated to Uzbekistan.

(AP)

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