By Xinhua,
Islamabad : A top U.S. military officer Wednesday opened talks with Pakistani army chief in a bid to reduce tension in Pakistan’s tribal region, local TV channels reported.
During the talks with Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Kayani said that only the Pakistani army were allowed to conduct operations against militants on the Pakistani soil, according to private GEO TV channel.
He also conveyed Pakistan’s protest over the cross-border attacks conducted by U.S. and coalition forces in Pakistan’s tribal region.
Mullen arrived in Pakistan Tuesday night to review cooperation between the two armies against al-Qaeda and Taliban, according to the News Network International (NNI) news agency.
He met Kayani in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, NNI reported, adding that he was also scheduled to meet Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani.
The visit comes amid tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan’s new government, which has angrily reacted to recent missiles strikes by U.S. drones, killing scores of people including women and children.
Mullen warned earlier this month that the U.S. forces would launch unilateral actions in Pakistan’s tribal regions against the al-Qaeda-linked militants.