Sify News (India)
November 17, 2006
Pak seeks closer military cooperation with NATO
Brussels (Belgium) - Pakistan is sending a top general for groundbreaking talks at NATO headquarters this week in an effort to improve military cooperation between its forces and NATO troops across the border in Afghanistan.
"There has been fairly good cooperation. We are trying to further enhance this cooperation with better liaison arrangements, " General Ihsahn Ul-Haq said. "We hope that we will achieve that soon."
Ul-Haq is the chairman of Pakistan's joint chiefs of staff.
His visit will be the first by such a high-ranking Pakistani military officer.
It comes as NATO troops in Afghanistan are struggling against Taliban fighters in volatile southern provinces across the border from Pakistan.
The Afghan government has accused Pakistan of allowing Taliban leaders and their armed followers to find sanctuary over the border, a claim denied by the Pakistanis.
NATO's move into the southern provinces since July sparked heavy resistance from Taliban fighters seeking to defend positions in their heartland.
The alliance has claimed success in fighting the insurgents, but ul-Haq said the level of resistance remains unclear.
He said, "It's very difficult to make an assessment of the strength of the Taliban. Of course, there has been intensification of the activities there, but there are several factors responsible for that."
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