PESHAWAR: In an unannounced visit to the army corps headquarters in the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif vowed that terrorist attacks “will not be tolerated and will be responded (to) effectively”, according to an Inter Services Public Relations statement on Saturday.

The army chief’s comments came after days of clashes in the Mirali region of North Waziristan in which, according to military claims, several dozen militants were killed, though locals disputed those claims and suggested many civilians too had died.

There was no mention in the ISPR statement of a much-speculated-about military operation in the troubled tribal region and it did state that the “COAS reiterated full support to the government-led ongoing peace process”.

During his first visit to the Peshawar Corps Headquarters since assuming command of the army, Gen Raheel was briefed about various operational, training and administrative matters. According to the ISPR, Gen Raheel appreciated the resolve displayed by the officers and men during the fight against terrorism and for bringing stability to the militancy-hit areas.

The army chief also expressed satisfaction with infrastructure building and reconstruction work being undertaken by the army in Fata and the Malakand division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but urged the officials concerned to ensure quality and the timely completion of the projects.

Gen Raheel, who was received by Commander 11th Corps Lt Gen Khalid Rabbani, laid a wreath at Yadgar-i-Shuhada and paid tribute to the soldiers and officers who had sacrificed their lives in defence of the country.

After days of clashes and deaths in Mirali, there were no reports of fresh violence in the region on Saturday. However, the entire agency remains under curfew.

The army chief’s visit to Peshawar appears to have been scheduled after the attack on Wednesday night against security forces in Mirali.

Seen as a morale-boosting visit to reiterate support for troops on the frontline in the fight against militancy, the trip to Peshawar also gave Gen Raheel an opportunity to be personally briefed on recent events in North Waziristan.

Earlier in the week, after the COAS attended his first meeting of the Cabinet Committee on National Security, the prime minister’s office issued a statement claiming that the use of force against the TTP was only an option of last resort.