ISLAMABAD-
General Lloyd J. Austin III Commander United States Central Command (Centcom) on Monday held a meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif at the General Headquarters(GHQ) in Rawalpindi, private media reported.
According to an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release, the US Centcom chief also hailed the sacrifices of Pakistan Army in context of the ongoing operation Zarb-e-Azb against terrorists.
The matters of mutual interest including bilateral defence cooperation and the overall regional security situation with special emphasis on Afghanistan came under discussion.
General Austin also laid a floral wreath at Yadgare-e- Shuhada to pay homage to Pakistani martyrs.
Earlier, US Centcom chief also visited the Defence Ministry in Rawalpindi and held a meeting with Defence Secretary Lt.Gen (r) Alam Khattak.
According to the Ministry of Defence sources, General Lloyd J. Austin III offered condolences over the Peshawar tragedy and lauded Pakistan’s role in the war against terrorism.
The Centcom chief has arrived in Pakistan on a two-day official visit and will also meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry tomorrow.
Defence sources further told that General Austin III is visiting Pakistan to assess the latest security situation in the region in the wake of the Dec 16 Taliban attack on Peshawar’s Army Public School, which left 150 people dead, including more than 140 schoolchildren, and to strengthen coordination between Pakistan and NATO forces in the post US drawdown situation in Afghanistan.