Pakistan army chief: US general called, offered assurances
Head of US Central Command Gen. Joseph Votel spoke by phone with Pakistan's army chief offering assurances that the United States will not unilaterally strike targets inside Pakistan, a spokesman for Pakistan's military said on Friday.
In a statement, spokesman Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor said that Votel in his call to Gen. Qamer Javed Bajwa reiterated Washington's concern about Afghans using Pakistan as a staging ground for attacks inside Afghanistan.
Ghafoor did not state exactly when the conversation took place, saying the call was made to Bajwa earlier this week.
The dialogue comes a week after the US announced its suspension of security assistance to Pakistan for failing to take "decisive action" against Taliban militants targeting US personnel in neighboring Afghanistan.
The announcement followed President Donald Trump's surprising New Year's day tweet, in which he said Washington had "foolishly" given Pakistan $33 billion in aid over the past 15 years and in return received "deceit and lies."
