Washington: The US Senate approved a defence bill that also cut some Pakistani aid.
The $US662 billion ($A670 billion) Defense Authorization bill which was voted by the Democrat-led Senate 86-13. President Barack Obama will likely sign the bill by this weekend.
The bill which will also hinder closing Guantanamo Bay, had drawn fire from civil liberties groups that strongly criticised its de facto embrace of holding alleged extremists without charge until the end of the “war on terrorism,.
Obama, who had threatened to veto earlier versions of the yearly measure, will sign it when it reaches his desk despite lingering misgivings, his spokesman Jay Carney said before the House vote on Wednesday.
The bill also freezes roughly $700 million in aid to Pakistan, pending assurances that Islamabad has taken steps to thwart militants who use improvised explosive devices (IEDs) against US-led forces in Afghanistan.
“If this legislation becomes law, we’ll work with the government of Pakistan on how we can fulfill the requirements. But, this requires us to maintain a strategic perspective,” US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said this week.
Pakistan has flayed the maove to freeze the aid.
