Gen. Abizaid is expected to press Islamabad ..

She refused to give details of the visit, which began on Tuesday, but Pakistan’s Urdu-language newspapers Jang and Nawa-e-Waqt said Abizaid wants Pakistan to send two army brigades to Iraq.

Pakistan has not sent any troops to Iraq, saying it would like to see a United Nations mandate or a command led by the Organization of Islamic Conference.

Abizaid met Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who withdrew Pakistan’s support for Afghanistan’s Taliban government after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States and joined the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition.

Details of discussions between Abizaid and Musharraf were not released. The only information made public was a statement carried by the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan.

The news agency said Abizaid "appreciated the excellent cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries and the role of Pakistan’s armed forces in combating the scourge of international terrorism."

The United States has been looking for additional troops from several countries for the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. Pakistan’s neighbor, India, has refused a U.S. request for troops.

Pakistani religious parties have warned Musharraf against sending soldiers to Iraq, threatening nationwide demonstrations if troops are deployed there.

The coalition’s war on terror in Afghanistan also is expected to dominate Abizaid’s three-day visit to Pakistan