ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir on Friday vowed action against terrorists and the eradication of the illegal spectrum undermining national security, according to a statement issued by the Pakistan Army’s media affairs wing.
Army Chief expressed this resolve during his visit to Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which shares a border with Afghanistan.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), this visit followed the National Apex Committee meeting held last Tuesday and served as a prelude to the provincial apex committee meeting.
The visit comes days after terrorists carried out a gun and suicide attack on Pakistan Army and paramilitary Frontier Constabulary personnel in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
During the visit, General Munir was given a comprehensive briefing on the regional security situation and ongoing counter-terrorism operations. The meeting was attended by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister and senior field commanders.
“He [Army Chief] reiterated the army’s firm resolve to dismantle hostile terrorist networks and eradicate the illegal spectrum undermining national security,” read the ISPR statement, quoting Munir.
“He assured that, through synchronised and robust operations, the Pakistan Army, in collaboration with Law Enforcement Agencies, will relentlessly hunt down the enemies of peace to ensure lasting stability and security.”
In a separate statement, the ISPR said it had carried out an intelligence-based military operation in Bannu district and killed three terrorists involved in numerous attacks against security forces and civilians.
The operation comes days after terrorists attacked a military outpost in the Mali Khel area of Bannu, which resulted in the martyrdom of 12 troops.
Security forces, in the ensuing gunfight, killed six khwarij (the term used for terrorists) and effectively blocked their attempt to enter the post. This prompted a suicide bomber to ram an explosive-laden vehicle into the facility, causing fatalities, according to an ISPR statement.
On Tuesday, the Apex Committee of the National Action Plan (NAP)—comprising top civil and military leadership—chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, reviewed the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The committee approved a “comprehensive military operation” against terrorists in Balochistan.
Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in the northwest and the remote southwestern province of Balochistan have both seen an increase in terrorist strikes this year.
On November 9, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a Quetta railway station, killing at least 27 people and wounding 62 others.
