U S General Abizaid in Pakistan for talks

Islamabad, Mar 7: US General John Abizaid, Commander of US Central Command, arrived in Pakistan today for talks with President Pervez Musharraf days after President George W Bush visited to discuss the war on terrorism.

Abizaid's visit comes as Pakistani forces are battling Islamist militants on the Afghan border and as Pakistan's relations with Afghanistan are strained by Afghan complaints Taliban insurgents are operating from Pakistani sanctuaries.

''General Abizaid is here. He'll be meeting the ambassador and then the president,'' said Captain Ken Braithwaite, a US military official in Pakistan.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are both major US allies in the war on terrorism but their relations have cooled since Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited last month and handed over what Afghan officials said was detailed information about Taliban members and activities in Pakistan.

Afghanistan is facing an increasingly vicious insurgency by the Taliban, who have been fighting since they were ousted shortly after the September 11 attacks when Pakistan dropped support for the radical Islamists.

Although Pakistan officially ended its support, many Afghans are convinced the Taliban could not survive and fight without the benefit of Pakistani refuges from where they plot and launch attacks into Afghanistan.

Musharraf this week derided the accusations and questioned Karzai's leadership saying some Afghans were conspiring to malign Pakistan.

Pro-Taliban rebels launched attacks on Pakistani government positions in the lawless Waziristan tribal area on the Afghan border on Saturday and more than 120 rebels and five government troops have been killed, the Pakistani military said.

Bush visited Pakistan at the weekend on the last leg of a South Asian tour and said after talks with Musharraf he was convinced of Pakistan's commitment in the war on terrorism.

Abizaid was due to stay in Pakistan for about 24 hours, the US official said.

REUTERS