Pakistan's Defence Minister has threatened to withdraw troops from the Afghan border in response to a US cut in military aid. In an interview with EXPRESS TV channel, Ahmed Mukhtar said, Pakistan cannot afford to keep troops in the region without the financial support.The US has said it is cutting $800m in aid which is about a third of the total annual US military aid Islamabad receives. Much of it is intended to reimburse Pakistan for deploying troops along the Afghan border, where militants seek sanctuary.However, Pakistan, which is currently engged in two military oprtions in Mohmand and Kurram is unlikely to pull out the army in the immediate future. But, if the army were to withdraw, it would create a security vacuum in the border region and would complicate US plans to gradually withdraw troops from Afghanistan.