Pakistani Chief of Defence meets with SACEUR

MONS, Belgium - General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Pakistan's Chief of Defence, visited SHAPE Headquarters today and met with General John Craddock, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, to discuss ongoing military operations in the Pakistan/Afghanistan region.

Gen. Craddock and Gen. Kayani discussed mutual concerns surrounding the military situation along the Pakistan-Afghan border, as well as current security concerns throughout the region.

"There is general agreement of what is required to improve the security conditions of the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Gen. Craddock said. "However both Gen Kayani and I agree that there is still much work to be done to rid that area of insurgents who threaten both Pakistan and Afghanistan alike.”

Gen. Craddock is overall commander of NATO military operations including NATO's International Security and Assistance Forces (ISAF) in Afghanistan, an operation which is significantly affected by the porous nature of the southern border regions through which insurgents are known to pass unhindered back and forth between Pakistan and Afghanistan.