ISLAMABAD: Army Chief General Raheel Sharif visited troops on the frontlines in North Waziristan on Monday and talking to officers and men stressed the need for eliminating all terrorists and their sanctuaries in the area.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, the army chief was given a detailed briefing by the General Officer Comman­ding on the ongoing Zarb-i-Azb Operation.

It was Gen Sharif’s first visit to North Waziristan since the start of the operation against militants and their masterminds involved in acts of terrorism in the country.

A source told Dawn that the COAS also visited Miramshah Bazaar and got first-hand information from officers about the progress of the operation and outcome.

An ISPR spokesman said while talking to troops carrying out the operation in Miramshah, the army chief praised them for their courage, dedication and high state of morale and expressed satisfaction on the progress achieved so far.

He praised the entire chain of command for their determined efforts in planning, preparation, mobilisation and execution of the operation.

“General Raheel Sharif once again emphasised on the officers and men to eliminate all local and foreign terrorists and their sanctuaries,” he said.

“Alluding to the end-objective, the COAS affirmed that terrorists would be chased and hunted down across the country till their final elimination.”

Gen Sharif acknowledged and appreciated what he called the support of the entire nation. He was quoted as saying: “With unflinching national resolve and clear direction, we will accomplish our mission and rid Pakistan of the scourge of terrorism.”

The army chief paid rich tribute to the troops who sacrificed their lives and suffered injuries during the operation.

Praising internally displaced persons (IDPs) for their sacrifices to restore the writ of the state, the army chief acknowledged the national spirit and support forthcoming for them from across the country.

He reaffirmed that the army would not abandon the tribal brethren in their hour of need and render all possible assistance to the government and various organisations in providing them maximum relief.

Gen Sharif also assured that the army would play its role in rebuilding and restoring normalcy in North Waziristan.

On his arrival at Miramshah, he was received by Lt Gen Khalid Rabbani, Corps Commander, Peshawar.

Reacting to reports that terrorists in North Waziristan were shaving their beards in order to penetrate into settled areas, sources in the army said terrorists had been encircled in a way that they could not escape.

They said IDPs coming out of the surrounded area had to pass through a verification process. Their computerised national identity cards were checked and matched with their family tree from the National Database Registration Authority’s data.

After going through the verification process, displaced persons were asked where they wanted to go and if they mentioned any of their relatives, details of the relatives were sought and they were contacted to ascertain if they had any relation or link with these people.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2014