US Defense Secretary James Mattis is on a visit to Pakistan for talks on Washington’s new military strategy in Afghanistan amid friction between the two sides over what the White House calls Islamabad’s support for militant groups.
Visiting Pakistan for the first time as the US defense chief, Mattis arrived at the Nur Khan Airbase in Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad on Monday.
Mattis is scheduled to meet Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa for talks on regional developments, bilateral issues and the war in Afghanistan.
Prior to his arrival, Mattis said his trip was aimed at finding “common ground” with Pakistan in the fight against the Taliban-linked militants, which the US says use Pakistani soil to launch attacks in Afghanistan.
Officials in Islamabad have strongly rejected the allegations. They say Pakistan has made great effort to fight…