The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir said Tuesday that the country’s armed forces remained committed to defeating terrorism and maintaining lasting peace and stability, according to the military’s media wing.
Munir made the remarks during a visit to the Peshawar Corps
Headquarters, where he was briefed on the security situation in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, ongoing counterterrorism operations, border management and the
operational preparedness of troops deployed in the province, the Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR) said.
The army chief praised the morale, readiness and
professionalism of security personnel and acknowledged their commitment to
protecting the country and its people.
He directed troops to remain vigilant and maintain high
standards of operational preparedness, according to ISPR.
“The armed forces, with the unwavering support of the
nation, remain resolute in their determination to defeat terrorism and ensure
lasting peace and stability across the country,” ISPR quoted Munir as saying.
During the visit, Munir also laid a wreath at the
Yadgar-e-Shuhada memorial and offered prayers for those killed in the line of
duty. He said their sacrifices would not be forgotten.
The visit came days after a major attack at the old Police
Lines in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in which 23 people were killed and about
100 others wounded, Dawn reported. Eight militants were killed during an overnight
clearance operation following the attack.
Pakistan’s Information Ministry said Monday that the armed
forces carried out airstrikes against what it described as terrorist hideouts
and safe havens in the border region with Afghanistan, killing more than 28
militants.
The ministry said the strikes targeted sites linked to
organizations responsible for recent attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It also
said security forces carried out an intelligence-based ground operation Sunday
in the Kohat and Hangu districts, killing nine militants.
The military said the operations were part of Pakistan’s
counterterrorism campaign, “Ghazab lil Haq.”
The latest military actions followed a clash between
security forces and armed fighters in Hangu in which, according to ISPR, two
officers and four other security personnel were killed and eight militants were
killed.
Pakistan has reported a resurgence in militant violence
since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Islamabad has
repeatedly called on the Taliban administration to take action against militant
groups operating from Afghan territory, particularly the Tehrik-i-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP), which Pakistan blames for attacks inside the country.
The Taliban government has rejected accusations that
Afghanistan is being used to facilitate attacks against Pakistan. Independent
verification of the competing claims about militant activity and cross-border
operations is often difficult.
