CENTCOM chief arrives: Gen Austin meets military leadership

They discussed a ‘wide range of common security issues’, according to an official statement issued by the US Embassy.

ISLAMABAD: A top US general called on Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif on Wednesday to discuss important issues pertaining to the regional security situation. General Lloyd J Austin III, Commander of US Central Command (Centcom), also held separate meetings with Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Rashad Mahmood and Defence Secretary Asif Yasin Malik. According to an official statement issued by the US Embassy in Islamabad, the Centcom chief and Pakistan military leadership discussed a ‘wide range of common security issues’. General Austin, who was on his second visit to Pakistan as Centcom commander, appreciated the opportunity to meet with his Pakistani counterparts, the statement added. He and his counterparts reaffirmed the importance of the US-Pakistani security relationship to regional stability and agreed to continue to work together in order to build a stronger partnership and further common objectives.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2014.