Some 20,000 US troops headed for Afghanistan have travelled through Russia using cost-saving transit routes since a US-Russian aerial transit agreement was inked last year, US officials said Wednesday. "Russia is becoming a much more active operational partner in a collective effort to help stabilise Afghanistan and prevent violent extremism to regain a platform there," said Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns.
An average of two flights a day now transit through Russia to head to the warzone, he said. The transit routes improve the efficiency of US military transport, saving the US government up to 133 million dollars on fuel, maintenance and other transportation costs each year, according to White House estimates.
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