ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari met with his top military officials Wednesday to discuss security issues in the volatile border regions near Afghanistan.
Zardari met with Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, the Pakistani army chief, to discuss future requirements for military operations in South Waziristan, Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reports.
Pakistani military forces launched operations in the tribal belt along the volatile border with Afghanistan in October. That operation was met with a spate of terrorist attacks on high-profile targets throughout the country, though several key Taliban leaders were killed during the raids.
Washington links stability in Pakistan to the success of its revised war plan for Afghanistan. Several key Taliban and al-Qaida figures are thought to be hiding out in the mountainous tribal regions, though the whereabouts of key leaders, including Osama bin Laden, are a subject of debate.
Zardari, leader of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, is under pressure to step down amid corruption charges. A Pakistan court last week overturned a moratorium on corruption investigations into top government officials.
His power, meanwhile, is dwindling following a decision to hand over much of his authority to the office of the prime minister.
