COAS gives go-ahead for final push in Shawal

Author: agencies/online

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif has given the go-ahead for the initiation of the final phase of operation Zarb-e-Azb in the Shawal valley region of North Waziristan.

The go-ahead was given by the army chief during his visit to forward positions of the army in Shawal valley. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that the army chief was briefed regarding operational gains and impending operations. The deep and forested ravines of Shawal valley and the area of Data Khel are frequently used infiltration routes used by the militants, the army chief was told. The last phase of the operation aims to clear the last remnants of the militants from their hideouts in the forested ravines, isolate them and destroy them in detail, while also severing their links to their abettors across the country.

General Raheel Sharif expressed complete satisfaction over the gains and the effects of the operations and acknowledged the resolve of the army troops to fully eliminate the militants. “The sacrifices of the soldiers will not go waste and we will achieve our ultimate objective of a terror free Pakistan,” said Sharif while addressing the troops. ISPR added that the troops have regrouped, reinforced and have moved to jump-off positions for the final phase. The chief of army staff was received by Lieutenant General Hidayatur Rehman, Commander 11 Corps Peshawar on his arrival.

Military operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched in North Waziristan on June 15 following a brazen militant attack on Karachi’s international airport and the failure of peace talks between the government and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) negotiators. The number of attacks in Pakistan has fallen around 70 percent, due to a combination of the military offensive against Taliban bases along the Afghan border and government initiatives to tackle militancy. Army had launched a ground offensive in Shawal Valley in August last year. Fighter jets had been targeting militant hideouts in the agency. The heavily forested ravines of the Shawal Valley are dotted with Taliban hideouts and the area is a key smuggling route into neighbouring Afghanistan.

Share
Leave a Comment

Recent Posts

  • Pakistan

FIA apprehends five persons involved in human trafficking,visa fraud

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Gujranwala Zone on Friday apprehended five individuals involved in human…

4 mins ago
  • World

Children now freezing to death in war-shattered Gaza: UN

The horrors in Gaza show no signs of abating, the United Nations said Thursday, noting…

7 mins ago
  • Business

December remittances hit $3.1bn, marking growth of 29.6%

Pakistan's remittances totaled $3.1 billion in December, reflecting a 29.3% increase compared to the same…

18 mins ago
  • Top Stories

Govt saved Rs 1.1 trillion through talks with IPPs: Awais Leghari

Minister for Power Division Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari on Thursday said that the government…

2 hours ago
  • Op-Ed

Defying High Court

The protest orchestrated by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on November 26 stands as a glaring…

2 hours ago
  • Op-Ed

Mehmood Booti: A Historical Context

Before knowing the geography of any specific place it's essential to know about the historical…

2 hours ago