WASHINGTON (AP) — The International Monetary Fund approved a $6.7 billion loan for Pakistan on Wednesday in an effort to help the strategic country stave off an economic crisis.

The nuclear-armed nation of 180 million, which maintains a rocky alliance with the U.S., is seen as a key player in Washington’s efforts to bring peace to neighboring Afghanistan after more than a decade of war. Pakistan has been grappling for years with rampant violence by Islamic militants.

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