South Asia accounts for nearly 17 per cent of the US foreign aid with a major chunk going to Afghanistan and Pakistan to support war on terror, a latest Congressional report has said.

India, whose economic powers has grown in leaps and bounds in the past one decade, does not figure in the top 15 recipients of the US foreign aid now.

A decade ago, in 1998, India with $138 million was ranked sixth in receiving foreign aid from the US. The list was topped by Israel ($3 billion) and Egypt ($2.1 billion).

Afghanistan and Pakistan � the two volatile regions in South Asia � were nowhere in top 15.

However, post 9/11, the two regions became major beneficiaries of US assistance as part of war against terrorism.

The latest figures available for the year 2008 has ranked Afghanistan second with nearly $2 billion aid while Pakistan with $738 million is placed at fifth position.

Israel with $2.3 billion continues to top the list.

"Since September 11, 2001, South Asia has emerged as a significant recipient of US assistance, rising from a four per cent share ten years ago to about 17 per cent FY2008, largely because of aid to Afghanistan and Pakistan," a Congressional report on US foreign aid said.