ISLAMABAD, March 7: US General John Abizaid, Commander of US Central Command, arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday for talks with President Pervez Musharraf days after President George W. Bush visited to discuss the war on terrorism.

Abizaid’s visit comes as Pakistani forces are battling militants on the Afghan border and as Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan are strained by Afghan complaints Taliban insurgents are operating from Pakistani sanctuaries.

“General Abizaid is here. He’ll be meeting the ambassador and then the president,” said Captain Ken Braithwaite, a US military official in Pakistan. Abizaid would stay in Pakistan for about 24 hours, the US official said. Another report said he would meet President Musharraf on Wednesday.—Agencies