Pak Army chief to visit US

Army chief gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani heads for US later this month on an official visit at a time when the Obama administration is undertaking a major review of the American strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.  

This will be Kayani's first visit to the US since he replaced former president Pervez Musharraf as the army chief in November 2007.
 
Kayani will arrive in the US on February 22 for a week-long visit at the invitation of his American counterpart, gen George W Casey.
 
The Pakistani army chief is expected to meet defence secretary Robert Gates, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff admiral Mike Mullen and US central command chief Gen David Petraeus, who oversees the US-led war against terrorism in Afghanistan.
 
Kayani's visit also assumes significance as president Obama on Tuesday vowed not to let al-Qaeda and Taliban operate with impunity in Afghanistan and called for concerted efforts to wipe out safe havens of these groups on the Pak-Afghan border.

The general's trip, being described by the armies of Pakistan and the US as a "formal visit", has generated a lot of interest in Washington's diplomatic circles.
 
It is believed that Kayani will meet some of the US officials playing a key role in framing the future US strategy for the region.
 
Excerpts of the new strategy leaked to the media show that the US expects the Pakistan Army to play a key role in eradicating terrorism from the region.
 
Kayani, who is a 1988 graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, will also visit his alma mater.