Islamabad - Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday tried to lessen military tensions with Pakistan as he met the senior military and civilian leadership in Islamabad.

The US pursuit of al-Qaeda and Taliban militants inside Pakistan's tribal regions has strained relations between the two allies and the officials of the two countries have been engaged in a war of words in recent weeks.

Mullen met Pakistan's military chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, in the garrison town of Rawalipindi and later held a meeting with the Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in the capital city.

The leaders reviewed the progress of Pakistan's efforts to combat militancy, violence, and terrorism in the talks that were described as being "extremely frank, positive, and constructive."

Mullen "reiterated the US commitment to respect Pakistan's sovereignty and to develop further US-Pakistani cooperation and coordination on these critical issues that challenge the security and well-being of the people of both countries," according to a statement released by the US embassy.

Earlier, an official privy to Kayani-Mullen talks said Pakistan's army chief "expressed his concerns on US attacks inside Pakistan and emphasized that the foreign troops could not be allowed to conduct operations on Pakistani soil."

Mullen is on the previously unannounced visit as US military operations inside Pakistan, including the first known ground raid that killed 20 people on September 3, have fuelled anger in the country, with rising calls to abandon cooperating against the fight on terrorism.

A week after the assault Kayani, in a strongly worded statement, said that the country's sovereignty would be defended "at all cost." He added that "such reckless actions only help the militants and further fuel militancy in the area."

Pakistan's north-western tribal regions are considered safe havens for al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders who have regrouped and established facilities to train fighters for attacking coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Mullen last week said the US was not winning its war in Afghanistan and, therefore, needed a "new, more comprehensive strategy," sparking speculation that the US was increasing its focus on independent operations inside Pakistani territory to eliminate key targets.

Following a New York Times report that US President George W Bush had secretly approved ground attacks without the consent of Pakistan gave credence to the reports of changing US tactics.

However, the Pakistani military insists that it reserves the right to defend the territorial integrity of the country. Security officials on Monday said government troops and tribesmen prevented a US incursion into South Waziristan tribal district's Angor Adda village, the scene of an earlier ground assault. dpa