US Centcom chief meets Gen Kayani

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RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani met with Centcom Chief General James Mattis, Geo News reported.

According to sources, COAS Kayani protested against the recent attacks from Afghanistan in Pakistan and demanded that these be stopped. During the meeting the Haqqani Network and bilateral relations were also discussed.

Ties between Islamabad and Washington are in crisis after American officials stepped up accusations that Pakistan's premier spy agency, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), was aiding insurgents in neighboring Afghanistan, including those who took part in an attack on the US Embassy last week in Kabul.

Kayani said on Friday that the charges were baseless and part of a public "blame game" detrimental to peace in Afghanistan. Other Islamabad officials urged Washington to present evidence for such a serious allegation. Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar warned the United States is risking losing an ally in the war on terror.

The row began when Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Thursday accused the ISI agency of supporting Haqqani insurgents in planning and executing last week's 22-hour assault on the US Embassy and a truck bombing that wounded 77 American soldiers days earlier. (AP)

Kayani said the allegations were "very unfortunate and not based on facts."

The claims were the most serious yet by an American official against nuclear-armed Pakistan, which Washington has given billions in civilian and military aid over the last 10 years to try to secure its cooperation inside Afghanistan and against Al-Qaeda.