Top US General, Pak Army chief discuss security situation in Pakistan, surrounding region

WASHINGTON:

General Mark Milley

, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff held a telephonic conversation with Army Chief of Staff of Pakistan General Qamar Javed Bajwa and discussed issues of mutual interest, including the current security environment in Pakistan and the region.


"Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Gen. Mark A. Milley spoke with Pakistan Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa by telephone today," Joint Staff Spokesperson Col. Dave Butler said in a statement.

"The senior leaders discussed items of mutual interest, including the current security environment in Pakistan and the region," he added.

This phone conversation took place in the backdrop of the US drawdown from Afghanistan and the end of its 20 years of military presence in the war-ravaged country.

In the past few days, top US officials have been holding talks with leaders and stakeholders around the world on issues concerning the developments in Afghanistan.

Earlier on Tuesday,

Pentagon

chief Lloyd Austin spoke with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the US troops from the country after 20 years of military presence.

Besides

Qatari Emir

, Austin spoke with several foreign leaders over the phone to thank them for their help in the US military's withdrawal of troops and evacuation of at-risk Afghans from the war-ravaged country.

Austin had a phone conversation with several world leaders including Bahrain Crown Prince

Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa

, Norwegian Minister of Defense Frank Bakke-Jensen, UAE Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Canadian Minister of National Defence Harjit S. Sajjan and German Federal Minister of Defense Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

The situation in Afghanistan has been deteriorating after the Taliban seized control of the war-ravaged country.

On August 15, the Afghan government fell soon after President Ashraf Ghani left the country.