US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met Monday with Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Ozel under the framework of his current visit to the Turkish capital.
Hagel's visit, along with his accompanying delegation, is a "private," Turkish General Staff said in a statement, noting that discussions between the two sides are to be conducted away from the media.
Meanwhile, Hagel is also expected to meet later today with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
The US-Turkish discussions are to address threats posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and best possible ways to combat such a threat, as well as other regional crises.
Hagel's visit comes at a time as Washington was stepping up its efforts to form an international coalition against ISIL. (pickup previous) ta.ma