Finding closure: War against terror in decisive phase, says COAS

Gen Raheel says winning wars requires sincere collaboration on part of the nation; 16 militants killed in air strikes

QUETTA:

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on Thursday said that battlefield successes in the ongoing military operation in North Waziristan have created the momentum for a decisive push against terrorists in the urban areas.

Hours earlier, fighter jets bombed areas in North Waziristan’s Datta Khel tehsil, killing at least 16 militants. A source within the political administration said that the security forces had bombed three hideouts and two vehicles of the militants. “At least 16 militants, including those of foreign origin, were killed in the attack.”

“Noteworthy achievements in Operation Zarb-e-Azab have created a space for a decisive surge against terrorists in the urban areas,” the army chief told officers and students of the Command and Staff College in Quetta.



General Raheel also noted that “the environment is getting ripe for political optimisation” enabling “a meaningful and sustainable closure”.

The army chief was on a day-long visit to the provincial capital. He was received by Commander Southern Command, Lieutenant General Naseer Khan Janjua on his arrival in Quetta, according to the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Gen Raheel’s comments came a day after the interior minister announced the capture of the suspected mastermind and perpetrators of the Safoora Goth massacre which claimed the lives of 45 members of the Ismaili community on May 13.

The army, according to General Raheel, is fighting against militants not just to save the country today but for the future as well. “The war against terrorism and extremism is being fought for our future generations,” he said.

“Only a secure Pakistan can become a prosperous Pakistan,” he said at the parade, adding that wars were not fought by armies alone and required sincere efforts of the entire nation.



The army chief also observed that the authorities needed to adopt modern means of technology to fight the war against terrorism keeping in view the nature of threats. “Our security threats are complex, multidimensional and hybrid in character,” he said.
“Traditional response mechanisms are, therefore, not relevant anymore.” Since last June, the Pakistan Army has been involved in a massive operation against local and foreign militants hiding in tribal areas after a deadly raid on the Karachi airport ended the government’s faltering peace talks with the Taliban.

The military claims to have killed more than 1,200 militants since the launch of Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan, which shares a border with Afghanistan. The militants use the mountainous border area to launch attacks in both countries. Security forces later began advancing towards Shawal Valley, where 10 suspected militants have been killed over the past week.

On May 18, six suspects were killed and two injured in a US drone strike. Four missiles were fired at a house and a vehicle in the Naray Zoye area. The house was flattened, killing six militants, including foreigners, and injuring two others.

On May 16, six suspects were killed and two injured in a drone strike in the Warokey Mandi area. Two missiles were fired at a house, which was decimated, killing six militants, including foreigners, and injuring two others.


Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2015.