The destruction caused by the recent floods and the huge relief effort undertaken by the Pakistani Army have forced it to alter plans to combat the Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.
Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas on Tuesday said some planned offensive actions have been converted to defensive actions to consolidate gains already made.
The military insists that not many of the 147,000 troops deployed in Pakistan's northwest were diverted by the floods.
Military officials said continuing operations against militants in the border region with Afghanistan have not been affected. However floods have disrupted communications and supply lines for the army as well as the civilian population in places like the Swat Valley.
General Abbas did however agree that the army had diverted several helicopters towards relief efforts.
Earlier in August President Asif Ali Zardari had warned about the militants gaining strength in the wake of the floods. Although, he was referring to the political realm rather than the military, he warned that if the political leadership failed to lead the nation, extremists and militants could step in to fill the vacuum.
It is evident from the recent activity of the militants in various regions of the country, more in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, that they perhaps have used the interval to regroup.
The Taliban also issued statements that they would target security personnel specifically as they have been assisting the US in killing the militants.
However, many militants have been targeted in recent operations. Two weeks ago, 45 militants were killed in gunship strikes in Khyebr-Paktunkhwa.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ