COAS to visit US Central Command office today, meet CENTCOM Chief General Lloyd Austin
Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif reached US Sunday for a week-long visit – his first to the country since taking over as army chief – for talks on security and defense issues, the Pakistani embassy in Washington said. The general will visit the US Central Command (CENTCOM) Headquarters in Tampa, Florida, today (Monday).
According to an official source, the army chief will hold a meeting with CENTCOM Chief General Lloyd Austin.
Security in Afghanistan is likely to be a major subject of discussion in his meetings with representatives from the Department of Defense, US Administration and Congress, including US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Martin Dempsey and leaders of the Central Command at a time of growing convergences of views between Pakistan and the US.
The visit comes just two days after the army chief met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during the latter’s visit to Pakistan. The US has also welcomed the Afghan president’s visit to Pakistan.
Officials said the army chief’s meetings with his US counterparts will provide an opportunity to enhance bilateral military-to-military cooperation.
Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts are also likely to figure in talks between the military leaders, embassy sources said.
The visit comes at a time when there is a greater convergence on views between Islamabad and Washington.
According to a report by The Washington Post, General Raheel is likely to be greeted with much more optimism and trust and “far less scepticism” than his predecessor, General (r) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
It quoted US officials as saying that Pakistan Army’s operation against militants in North Waziristan has “boosted their confidence in Islamabad’s commitment to combating terrorist groups operating within its borders.”