Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has urged the United States to speed up delivery of aid, saying the nation needed more aircraft, ammunition and funds to battleTaliban rebels.

US officials have praised Pakistan's recent military offensives against the Taliban in northwest Swat region, while operations are expanding into the insurgent strong-holds in the semi-

autonomous tribal belt bor-deringAfghanistan.

Speaking to a US congressional delegation in the capital Islamabad, Gilani "called on the US to expedite passage" of bills that would see aid to Pakistan tripled, the prime minister's office said in a statement late Monday.

Aid was key to upholding peace in Swat and the tribal regions by funding healthcare, industry and infrastructure, the prime minister said.

He added that: "Pakistan's

Armed Forces needed immediate replenishment of aviation spares and ammunition as well as the much-needed helicopters and counter intelligence equipment for winning the war against terrorism."

The US senate in June approved a bill which provides 7.5 billion dollars in humanitarian and economic aid over five years and recommends that level for another five years while tying US military aid to progress against extremists.