Daily Times

RAWALPINDI: In a series of tweets, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa on Saturday said that phenomenal success has been achieved during Operation Zarb-e-Azb and the last pockets of militants are being cleared near the Pak-Afghan border.

The head of the army’s media wing was tweeting to mark a year and a half since the launch of Operation Zarb-e-Azb and gave an overview of significant achievements. Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa added that the backbone of the terrorists had been broken and their main infrastructure has been dismantled. He elaborated that the nexus between the sleeper-cells in urban areas has been largely disrupted through intelligence-based operations (IBO) conducted by security forces. “3,400 terrorists have been killed, 837 hideouts from where they operated from have been destroyed,” said Bajwa in his tweet.

Given the total number of IBOs carried out during the last year and a half, DG ISPR stated that 13,200 IBOs have been conducted across the country in which 183 hardcore terrorists were neutralised and 21,193 were arrested. In his tweets, Bajwa highlighted the sacrifices rendered by Pakistan Army during Operation Zarb-e-Azb and stated that success came at a heavy price. “488 valiant officers and men of the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps (FC) and Sindh Rangers have sacrificed their lives and 1,914 were injured in Operation Zarb-e-Azb,” he stated.

Elaborating on the performance of military courts, Bajwa stated that a total of 11 military courts are functioning, with 142 cases referred to the courts out of which 55 cases have been resolved, while 87 cases are being processed. He added that 31 terrorists have been convicted through trials held at the military courts. “Support of the entire nation for its valiant armed forces and the resolve expressed against terrorism after the December 16 APS attack has been the bedrock for Operation Zarb-e-Azb,” further stated Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa in his tweets. He added that overall improvement in security and law and order is owed to Zarb-e-Azb, which can be witnessed with festivities and national events being celebrated, and stability is being achieved.