US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had a telephonic talk about the Afghanistan situation and regional peace issues on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Pentagon said.
The duo reiterated the resolve determination to continue with joint efforts for regional peace, the Pentagon official said in a press release.
Austin appreciated Pakistan for playing a pivotal part in peace in Afghanistan and the region, the Pentagon said, adding that the US defence secretary shed light on the importance of Pak-American relations.
Earlier in the month, Washington announced the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan on May 1 and asked its civilians and diplomatic staff to leave the country as a non-aggression agreement between the US and the Taliban is going to expire. The US has planned Afghan withdrawal by September 11 on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.