Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen and special envoy Richard Holbrooke visited Pakistan today, meeting with top officials to discuss regional security strategies. Among the foci of the meeting was President Barack Obama’s new “comprehensive” strategy for the American war effort in Afghanistan and the tribal areas of Pakistan.
During the visit, Mullen also met with Pakistani Army Chief General Parvez Kayani, in an attempt to improve relations between the two militaries. The two have met 10 times since November 2007, and Mullen described the relationship between the two is “vital.”
In addition to the usual formalities, the admiral declared that America believes that the top leadership of the Taliban are hiding in the Pakistani province of Balochistan. President Obama has been under pressure in recent days to expand the scope of America’s drone attacks into Pakistan into the Baloch capital of Quetta.