Nation stands united with armed forces: COAS

RAWALPINDI: The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Raheel Sharif, said on Wednesday that the nation was fully behind the armed forces to totally eliminate terrorism from across the country in order to bring peace.
The army chief said this while visiting the frontline troops in the Khyber Agency, where a military operation is in progress.The COAS said the nation highly values the sacrifices rendered by the armed forces and stood united with them. He said terrorists will not be allowed to come back to their sanctuaries.
According to Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa’s tweet on social media, the morale of troops on the frontline was sky high.
General Raheel Sharif was briefed that 263 hardcore terrorists were killed after being surrounded from all sides in Tirah and Khyber Agency. The Musatil Pass leading to Afghanistan is now in full control of the Pakistan Army.
The COAS was told that terrorist strongholds were reduced while the fight in the last few pockets close to the Afghanistan border was now in progress. The noose is being tightened around the terrorists and no escape is being allowed.
In the area infested with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), mostly foreign made, 392 IEDs were neutralised by the Special Engineers Unit.The army chief was told that 35 soldiers had embraced Shahadat since the start of Khyber-2 Operation.
General Raheel paid rich tributes to the supreme sacrifice of the soldiers and appreciated their successes. He directed to continue the momentum of the operations and take it to a logical conclusion.The COAS appreciated the tribal brethren for their full support to evict the terrorists from their areas and asked them not to allow the terrorists from returning to their areas.