Top Pakistani, US military generals discuss ties

Visiting American commander Friday held talks with senior Pakistani military leaders and discussed "geo-strategic situation of the region with an emphasis on Afghanistan," the military said.General Lloyd Austin III, commander of Central Command or Centcom, met General Khalid Shameem Wynne, chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in the military headquarters in Rawalpindi.This is General Austin's first visit to Pakistan since he has undertaken his new responsibilities in December last year, a Pakistan military statement said.In his meeting with Wynne, both the leaders dilated upon matters related to mutual interests between the two countries, it said.General Lloyd J. Austin and General Kayani discussed matters of bilateral and professional interest with special emphasis on strengthening the existing military to military coordination mechanisms.This is the second visit of top American military leader to Pakistan in less than a week.General Joseph F. Dunford, commander of International Security Assistance Force, (ISAF) visited Pakistan on Monday. He had met General Kayani and discussed a variety of issues related to strengthening cooperation and pressuring militants who threaten security along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.General Kayani had urged General Dunford to help Pakistan check cross-border attacks launched from Afghanistan, which is the main reason of the current diplomatic tension between the two uneasy neighbors.Pakistani military leaders and the Centcom chief met at a time when relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan are tense. That would be a matter of concerns for the United States as the tension could destabilize the region when the NATO plans withdrawal from Afghanistan.The military said that Pakistani militants who had fled to Afghanistan after operations in the tribal regions and Swat valley have regrouped their fighters for attacks on Pakistani border posts and villages.Afghan authorities also claimed that Pakistani forces fire rockets into its border regions.