ISLAMABAD, 2 December 2004 — Head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) Gen. John Abizaid, the top US military commander in the region, began talks here yesterday as part of regular high-level contacts between the militaries of the two key allies in the war on terror, officials said.
Abizaid arrived late Tuesday on a two-day visit which follows denials by Pakistan of recent reports that it had withdrawn troops from a tribal region near the Afghan border.
Pakistani military spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said the US general’s visit was aimed at discussing “professional matters of mutual interest” but did not elaborate.
Abizaid later held a meeting with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz at which “they discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the regional geo-political situation,” an official statement said. Aziz said that Pakistan’s conventional arms capability is important for peace in the region.
The prime minister said the country needs to upgrade its defense capability and appreciates the US cooperation in this regard, report said. He said Pakistan supported a “strong and stable Afghanistan” which he added would be a stabilizing factor in the region.
Pakistan is a key US ally and the armed forces of the two countries maintain close coordination in the campaign to root out Al-Qaeda and Taleban fighters who still remain in the region.
Middle East expert Abizaid, a Lebanese-American, replaced Tommy Franks in early July as military commander of US forces in a vast area that includes Iraq and Afghanistan — which he visited last week for Thanksgiving Day.
As the talks were under way Pakistan issued its second denial within five days of a troop withdrawal from South Waziristan, saying forces were still in the main town of Wana to hunt Al-Qaeda-linked militants in the region.
Last week the Pakistani military said checkposts which had been manned by troops in two districts of Wana were being handed over to local tribesmen to allow free movement of local people. South Waziristan is one of several isolated tribal areas along the 2,500 km Pakistan-Afghanistan border where US officials believe Osama Bin Laden and other leaders of Al-Qaeda may be hiding.
The move fuelled reports that the troops were being withdrawn from Wana after an agreement with one of the area’s two main tribes, the Wazir, who pledged not to allow use of their territory for any militant activity.
“The troops continue to be deployed in the Wazir area and will be prepared to undertake operations at short notice should there be any report of presence of foreign militants in the area,” the military said in a statement.
Al-Qaeda Suspect Killed
A suspected Al-Qaeda-linked militant was killed and 11 security personnel wounded in a shootout near Pakistan’s southwestern city of Quetta yesterday, police said.
The dead militant was believed to be a Chechen who had holed up in a house with two colleagues on the outskirts of the city, the capital of Baluchistan province which borders Afghanistan.
“They were Chechens and were suspected of having links with Al-Qaeda,” a police official said. He gave no other details. The shootout erupted after the suspects hurled hand grenades and opened fire when security forces launched a predawn raid on the house.
— Additional input from Agencies.
