The United States military commander and its regional trouble-shooter arrived in Islamabad Monday for talks on a new strategy to defeat terror in the nuclear-armed power, Pakistani officials said. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, and special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, flew into Islamabad following two days of talks in neighbouring Afghanistan.
"Richard Holbrooke and Admiral Mike Mullen have arrived in Pakistan," a senior government official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "Holbrooke has a meeting scheduled with President Asif Ali Zardari," the official said, but gave no further details. Another Pakistani official confirmed the Americans arrival but a US embassy spokesman was not reachable for comment.
Pakistani officials said the visitors were also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. It is the first top-level US visit since President Barack Obama put Pakistan at the heart of the fight against al Qaeda, unveiling a new strategy nine days ago to commit thousands more troops and billions of dollars to the Afghan war.
"This will be our first interaction with Richard Holbrooke after the unveiling of the policy review," the official told AFP earlier on Monday. "They will ask questions and we will pose questions about the policy and how it can be implemented," he added.