Officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan, US meet in Pakistan

Senior army officials from Pakistan , Afghanistan and the United States met near the Pakistani capital Wednesday in an effort to improve cooperation in the U.S.-led war on terror, a Pakistan army official said. The talks came as coalition forces step up a campaign to flush out remnants of the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan, where insurgents often target Afghan and coalition forces, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.

Photo: Officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan, US meet in Pakistan

Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, commander of Coalition Forces in Afghanistan , and Gen. Bismullah Khan, chief of the General Staff of the Afghan National Army were representing their countries at the talks held at the Pakistan Army's headquarters in Rawalpindi , a garrison city near Islamabad .

Gen. Ahsan Saleem Hyat, vice chief of the Army Staff of the Pakistan Army and other officials are representing Pakistan at the 16th meeting of the Tripartite Commission, which was created to improve coordination and resolve disputes related to combatting terrorism.

The meeting comes a day after Pakistan 's army said that it had deployed more troops along the Afghan border to stop Taliban militants from crossing into the country as they retreat from a major offensive by U.S. and Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan . Some 2,500 Afghan and coalition forces backed by helicopter gunships last week started the offensive dubbed Operation Mountain Lion to flush out rebels in Kunar province bordering Pakistan 's Bajur tribal region.

Pakistan is a key ally of the U.S.-led war on terrorism, but it has come under frequent criticism, particularly from Kabul , over accusations it doesn't do enough to prevent Taliban and other rebels from crossing the poorly marked border. Pakistan denies the claims and says it has deployed over 80,000 troops along the border to evict militants and prevent insurgents from entering Pakistan or crossing over to Afghanistan , reports the AP.

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