| The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) Commander, General James N. Mattis, is in Pakistan in an apparent move to defuse tension with the close ally over the suspension of military aid.
General Mattis met Pakistan Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman General Khalid Shameem Wynne at the Joint Staff Headquarters in Chaklala and discussed matters related to the regional security situation with special emphasis on the war on terror, a Pakistan Army statement said. The statement did not give any further details of the meeting, but it is believed that tension over aid suspension prominently figured in the talks, The Nation reports. General Mattis is the first top US commander to visit Pakistan after the US suspended military aid to Pakistan, which analysts believe may harm ties between the two armies - close allies in war against Al-Qaeda and Taliban. The Obama administration has suspended some 800 million dollars in military assistance to Pakistan in a show of displeasure over its cutback on US trainers, limits on visas for US personnel and other rubs. The May 2 secret US military raid in Abbottabad, which killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, had also caused new strains in bilateral ties. |
