U.S. to offer Pakistan support when VP visits: report

(Reuters) - The Obama administration will offer Pakistan more military, intelligence and economic support, a message that Vice President Joe Biden will deliver next week during a visit to the country amid strained relations, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.

President Barack Obama and other top U.S. officials have criticized Pakistan for not doing enough to curb militants within its borders who attack U.S.-led forces in neighboring Afghanistan.

The administration has decided to intensify existing efforts to help improve stability in the region, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed officials.

Biden will meet with Pakistan's military chief, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, and top government leaders to get more information about Pakistan's long-term strategy for the region and what help Islamabad needs, the report said.

There was no immediate comment from the vice president's office on Saturday.

The U.S.-Pakistan relationship has been strained with Pakistan complaining that Washington does provide adequate support and does not understand its security needs.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari will be in the United States next week for a memorial service on January 14 for Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the veteran U.S. diplomat who was Obama's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Obama and his top national security aides have ruled out ideas from some military commanders to allow U.S. ground forces to do targeted raids in the region, the report said.

U.S. aid to Pakistan is expected to be about $3 billion this year, the Post said, but Pakistan has complained that money has been slow to arrive and that requested military equipment has not been sent.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Bill Trott)