WASHINGTON: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir met with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in Washington to discuss the regional security situation and defence cooperation between the two countries.

Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said that Austin received Munir, who arrived in Washington on Sunday for a weeklong visit. "The two officials discussed recent regional security developments and potential areas for bilateral defence cooperation," said Ryder.

This is Gen Munir’s first visit to the US since being appointed chief of Army Staff last year. He is expected to meet with other senior US officials, including National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

Washington is Islamabad's one of the largest military and trade partners. His visit to Washington comes at a time when tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have grown following repeated militant attacks on Pakistani security forces in border areas with Afghanistan.

On December 12, at least 23 soldiers were killed when militants rammed an explosives-laden truck into a security forces post in Khyber-Paktunkhwa's Dera Ismail Khan district. The military's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said that the terrorists rammed the vehicle after their attempts to gain entry were "effectively thwarted".

The car bomb was followed by another suicide attack, leading to the collapse of the building, causing multiple casualties. Six terrorists were also killed in the attack, the ISPR maintained.

Islamabad has accused the interim Afghanistan administration of providing support to the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP) while Kabul denies any support to militants or use of their soil against Pakistan.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 15 2023

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