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Pakistan army chief rules out another anti-Taliban offensive

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Oct 7, IRNA -- Pakistan’s army chief has ruled out any another military operation against the militants and insisted that civilian administration now takes security responsibility in areas cleared of Taliban militants.

The US is mounting pressure on Pakistan to launch military operation against the Taliban-linked Haqqani network which the CIA says based in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region and launch attacks from there.

Pakistan Army says that Haqqani Network is based in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Nuristan provinces, the areas that oversaw repeated attacks in Pakistan’s Chitral and Upper Dir from Afghan militants.

“Military operation is not a solution to every problem. We’re done with those operations where we had to,” Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani told reporters after he witnessed joint Pakistan-Saudi Arabia military exercises near the town of Mangla, a town in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

His comments are largely seen in context with the Pak-US row that had spurred to a wider degree of hostility, lately, against the US demand to Pakistan for taking on terrorist sanctuaries, particularly the Haqqani Network, in North Waziristan.

Replying to a question over the recent tension along the Pakistan-Afghan border, General Kayani said Pakistan has asked the Afghan side to stop incursion and firing from Afghan soil.

“We have made adequate arrangements to avert incursions from Afghan side into Pakistani areas.”

The army chief spokesman says that Pakistani Taliban, who have fled military operations, have now established bases in the Afghan border regions and are attacking Pakistani border posts from there.

Sources said that the army chief in a meeting with Afghan ambassador in Islamabad asked his to ensure that militants on Afghan soil should not attack Pakistani posts and border villages.

General Kayani said that the security forces have conducted several military operations against the insurgents and now it is the responsibility of the civil authorities to take over security responsibility in those areas where the government writ has been established.

“Military cannot permanently stay at any given area. The civilian government has to take the charge, after all,” he said.

**1420
Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 30600025