Islamabad: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited active-duty troops along the Pakistan-Afghan border in the Dawatoi sector of North Waziristan tribal district on Monday, military officials said.
The troops are taking part in operations such as border fencing to secure the largely porous border and ensure the effective surveillance in some “inaccessible pockets of land” that had been “sporadically used by terrorists as hideouts” to target civilians and security officials.
More than 90 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were recovered during the course of operations, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said. Security forces have active control of North Waziristan - the last remaining stretch of the international border, it added.
During the visit, COAS Gen Bajwa was briefed on complementing border security and management measures particularly the progress on fencing along the entire Pak-Afghan border. While interacting with the troops, the COAS appreciated their high state of morale and remarkable operational performance. Pakistan is playing its part in promoting regional peace and stability by “solidifying border security and capacity enhancement” of law enforcement agencies (LEAs), he said.
Appreciating tribal people for their unfaltering support in fighting terrorism, Gen Bajwa said that peace had largely returned to the region, however, collective efforts by local population, civil administration and LEAs are essential to retain the hard-won normalcy. “We have to remain vigilant and steadfast to thwart hostile attempts to create chaos and reverse the gains of Operation Raddul Fasaad,” the COAS said.
Pak-Afghan border fencing and security
To prevent terrorism, illegal crossings and smuggling, Pakistan is fencing its border with Afghanistan and Iran under a border management strategy that includes border terminals, scanners, biometric system, border posts, forts and fencing.
Nearly 1,700km of the total 2,600km Pak-Afghan border has been completed including 370km in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 980km in Balochistan, while fencing also continues at Pak-Iran border. DG ISPR Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar earlier siad that people on both sides of the border will benefit from the fencing.
The pair of three-meter-high mesh fences, topped with barbed wire, runs through rough terrain and snow-covered mountains as high as 12,000 feet.
Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad
Pakistan’s security officials have successfully thwarted more than 400 terrorist attacks since the launch of Pakistan Army’s intensive nationwide operation ‘Radd-ul-Fasaad’ against terrorist groups in 2017. Sharing statistics at a recent press briefing, the DG ISPR said, “More than 18,000 terrorists were killed and 194,000 intelligence-based operations were carried out during the operation whereas 400 tons of explosive material was seized and over 70,000 weapons and five million ammunition were recovered from terrorists.” He termed Pakistan’s war against terrorism “a hard-earned success.”
