Countering Terrorism: Kayani ready to raise Rapid Deployment Force

250-300 soldiers to be recruited into the force during the first phase.

Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani assured the federal government on Thursday of all possible support in countering terrorism, and revealed that work on raising a Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) for immediate response to terrorist activities in the country has begun, reported Express News.

The general was in a meeting on Thursday with Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar in Lahore.

Kayani revealed that deployment for the force will occur in two stages:

In the first phase, around 250-300 soldiers will be recruited into the force while in the second phase, the army will recruit civilians and train them for the force.

Chaudhry Nisar had mentioned the plan for a RDF last month as part of the government's national counter-terrorism and extremism policy.