US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca will visit Nepal for four days from Thursday, a US Embassy official said Wednesday. She will discuss bilateral issues with Nepali officials, the official said.

She will also consult with US Embassy officials on current issues. Rocca accompanied Secretary of State Colin Powell who visited to Nepal in January. Powell is the first US Secretary of State to visit Nepal.

Rocca is visiting Nepal after the Washington pledged $38 million in economic assistance and another $20 million in military assistance to fight the seven year communist insurgency.

The US has lent strong moral and material support to the government’s efforts to contain the insurgency that has claimed more than 7,000 lives. Rocca is visiting Nepal after Maoists took responsibility for the recent murders of two Nepali security staff working for the Embassy.