The World - News from Nov. 2, 1988

The Reagan Administration, escalating its criticism of a Soviet arms buildup in Afghanistan, accused Moscow of trying to blackmail the pro-Western government of Pakistan by parading ballistic missiles through the streets of Kabul. State Department spokesman Charles Redman said the Scud-B missile, apparently identical to a weapon used by Iraq in its conflict with Iran, has a range that could put much of western Pakistan at risk. “If the purpose of these latest military developments is to threaten Pakistan, the Soviet Union knows that Pakistan enjoys our full support,” Redman said. But when asked how Washington would respond to a Soviet attack on Pakistan, Redman dismissed the question as hypothetical.