From correspondents in Brussels, Belgium, 11:31 AM IST

Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Kayani discussed the situation in his country during his meeting Tuesday with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and other NATO officials here.

The talks focussed on how to deepen the relationship between the alliance and Pakistan, including training of Pakistani officers in NATO schools and the Afghanistan-Pakistan border coordination centres, said a NATO press release.

The other issue discussed was the current situation in Pakistan, where Kayani outlined ongoing operations against Taliban militants in Swat, EuAsiaNews reported.

Kayani also met NATO's Military Committee, chaired by Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola.

The Pakistani military April 26 went into action against the Taliban in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) after the militants reneged on a controversial peace accord with the provincial government.

Instead of laying down their arms, the Taliban moved south from their Swat headquarters and occupied Buner district that is just 100 km from Islamabad.

The operations began in Lower Dir, the home district of Taliban-backed radical cleric Sufi Mohammad who had brokered the peace accord, and were then extended to Buner and Swat.

Close to 1,000 militants have so far been killed in the fighting, the Pakistani army says.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)