Pakistan army chief tells troops to ‘eliminate terrorists’

http://gulfnews.com/

By Mohsin Ali

General Raheel Sharif commends chain of command for efforts in North Waziristan

Visiting troops on the front lines in North Waziristan tribal region Monday, Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif “once again emphasised on the officers and men to eliminate all local and foreign terrorists and their sanctuaries”. According to a press release issued by the military’s public relations wing, the army chief talked to “valiant troops in the middle of operation in Miranshah,” the main town in North Waziristan.

Alluding to the end objective, he affirmed that terrorists “will be chased and hunted down across the country till their final elimination.”

He lauded the troops for their “courage, dedication and high state of morale” and expressed his satisfaction over the progress achieved so far since the start of the operation on June 15

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) commended the entire chain of command for their determined efforts in planning, preparation, mobilisation and execution of the operation. “He acknowledged and appreciated the support of the entire nation and avowed that Inshallah (God willing) with unflinching national resolve and clear direction, we will accomplish our mission and rid Pakistan of the scourge of terrorism,” the Inter-Services Public Relations said.

General Raheel Sharif especially paid tribute to Shuhada (soldiers killed in battle) and those wounded. Paying tribute to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) for their sacrifices to restore writ of the state, he acknowledged the national spirit and support for them from across the country.

The general reaffirmed that the army will not abandon tribal brethren in their hour of need and all possible assistance will be rendered to the government and various organisations in bringing maximum relief to IDPs. The COAS also assured of the army’s role in rebuilding and restoring normalcy in the restive North Waziristan region after the completion of the operation.

According to the latest official report 572,529 IDPs have been registered since the evacuation of the civilian population from North Waziristan began after the launch of the operation. Camps for the IDPs have been set up in neighbouring Bannu district and other places in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party runs the regional government.

Khan, speaking to tribal elders during a visit to Bannu on Sunday, urged the Pakistan army to allow foreign aid agencies to do relief work for the displaced families. The PTI leader said the required no-objection certificates should be immediately issued to NGOs so that they could bring relief goods from abroad. Khan said he along with the provincial chief minister would talks to the army chief to permit donor agencies’ access to IDPs. In an interview to BBC, Khan described the events of the last few weeks as an “unfolding human tragedy” and emphasised that without NGOs assistance his party’s government in the region would not be able to cope with the situation. Hundreds of terrorists have been killed over the past three weeks in North Waziristan, most in air strikes on their hideouts, according to the military. The operation was launched after breakdown of peace talks between the government and the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan involved in a bloody insurgency since 2007. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told the media that the operation in North Waziristan was continuing successfully with the backing of the nation.

He said the government wanted early completion of the operation, though no time frame had been set for this.