Pakistan, Afghan senior military commanders discuss border security

A senior Pakistani military commander has visited Afghanistan to discuss border security amid growing military-to-military cooperation, the army said on Monday.

Corps Commander Peshawar, Lt. Gen. Hidayat ur Rehman, who is supervising the military offensive against the militants, visited Afghanistan on Sunday and met his counterpart across the border, a military statement said.

"During the meeting, ways and means were also discussed to further enhance the existing border coordination mechanism," it said.

Military commanders and security officials are now regularly consulting to mutually share intelligence and coordinating security operations on their respective sides of the porous border.

Afghan Army Chief General Sher Muhammad Karimi, during his meeting last month meeting with his Pakistani counterpart General Raheel Sharif in Rawalpindi, agreed that their commanders would begin meeting immediately to further coordinate cross-border security operations.

Representatives of Afghan Border Police and International Security Assistant Force were also present during the Sunday meeting.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have also revived joint border control centers to coordinate operations against the militants and share intelligence on illegal cross-border movement, officials said.

The AfPak Border Coordination Centers will be reactivated at the two main border points of Torkham and Spin Boldak, the sources said.

As the two sides have agreed on regular contacts, Lt. General Nasir Khan Janjua, who commands forces in Pakistan's Balochistan, is also scheduled to visit Afghanistan on Wednesday, the army said.

"These visits are aimed to enhance the ongoing military to military relationship between two countries," the statement said.

The two countries have increased cooperation following last month's savage Taliban attack on a army-run school in Peshawar that had killed 140 children and 10 staffs. Endi