Meeting with Raheel: US general admits ‘far reaching effects’ of Zarb-e-Azb

During the meeting, matters of mutual interest and security situation in Afghanistan were discussed

ISLAMABAD: A top US general stationed in Afghanistan has acknowledged ‘the far reaching effects’ of the operation Zarb-e-Azb in bringing peace and stability in the region.

The appreciation came on Tuesday from Commander Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan General John Nicholson, who called on army chief General Raheel Sharif at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the visiting dignitary acknowledged the far reaching effects of the operation and lauded role of Pakistan Army in bringing peace and stability in the region.

Zarb-e-Azb was launched in June 2014 in North Waziristan Agency (NWA), once considered a hotbed of local militants and their foreign cohorts. Last month, the army had announced ‘successful completion’ of the full-scale military offensive.

The last phase of the operation was centred around thickly wooded Shawal Valley, known for its treacherous terrain that militants had been using not only to infiltrate between Pakistan and Afghanistan but also to launch attacks on both sides of the border.

“During the meeting, matters of mutual interest including border coordination mechanism along Pakistan-Afghanistan border and security situation in Afghanistan were discussed,” said the ISPR.

The US general’s acknowledgement of the positive effects of the operation is in total contrast to the US Congress, which still insists that Pakistan needs to do more to eradicate certain militant outfits.

Recently, a sub-committee of US Panel on Foreign Affairs stopped the Obama Administration from subsidising sale of the F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan under the pretext that Pakistan was not doing enough to go after against groups such as Haqqani network and the Afghan Taliban.

The Obama Administration has since been trying hard to convince the Congress that sale of the F-16s to Pakistan is in the US interest. However, the US State Department has admitted that Washington will no longer provide funds from the foreign military assistance for the F-16s after the lawmakers’ objections.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2016.