Top US military officer holds talks with Pakistani army chief
17/9/2008 17:19
A top US military officer today opened talks with Pakistani army chief in
a bid to reduce tension in Pakistan's tribal region, local TV channels
reported.
During the talks with Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff
Admiral Mike Mullen, Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Kayani said that only
the Pakistani army were allowed to conduct operations against militants on the
Pakistani soil, according to private GEO TV channel.
He also conveyed
Pakistan's protest over the cross-border attacks conducted by US and coalition
forces in Pakistan's tribal region.
Mullen arrived in Pakistan last night to
review cooperation between the two armies against al-Qaeda and Taliban,
according to the News Network International (NNI) news agency.
He met Kayani
in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, NNI reported, adding that he was also
scheduled to meet Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani.
The visit
comes amid tensions between the US and Pakistan's new government, which has
angrily reacted to recent missiles strikes by US drones, killing scores of
people including women and children.
Mullen warned earlier this month that
the US forces would launch unilateral actions in Pakistan's tribal regions
against the al-Qaeda-linked militants.
Xinhua
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