Washington, September 06: Following a deal between Washington and Moscow, the US military will be able to use Russian airspace to send troops and arms to Afghanistan.
An unnamed US defense official told AFP on Sunday that the flights are legal as of September 6.
“This agreement gives us another option to choose from in our flight planning process,” the official said, giving no further details.
US President Barack Obama finalized an agreement in early July with Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev, allowing the US to supply Western forces in Afghanistan via Russia.
The accord permits up to 4,500 military flights per year.
Russia previously had only allowed Washington to ship non-lethal military supplies across its territory by train.
—–Agencies