ISLAMABAD: As the Zarb-i-Azb military operation entered its second phase in North Waziristan, Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif vowed on Wednesday to take the fight against terrorists to remote areas of the tribal agency.

“Terrorists will be pursued even in the remotest areas and all their sanctuaries will be taken out,” he said while reviewing the progress of the operation at a meeting with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt. The meeting evaluated the coordination between the Pakistan Air Force and the army and the targeting mechanism.

The pledge came as troops battled militants outside Datta Khel town of North Waziristan. Sixty five terrorists were killed in latest air strikes north-west of Datta Khel and Shawal Valley.

Analysts believe that the “next phase” in the operation will be more challenging because of difficult terrain and forest area in Shawal valley. Moreover, many militants, after being evicted from their sanctuaries, have taken refuge in remote areas of the agency.

A military source said that during the first stage of the operation, the main towns of Mirali, Miramshah and Datta Khel, once considered militants’ strongholds, and the road connecting the towns had been cleared.

“Now we are moving ahead after consolidating the initial gains,” he added.

The chiefs of army and air force expressed satisfaction over the progress in the operation and pledged to use all available resources for making it successful.

The army chief had earlier announced that special intelligence-based operations would be conducted in other parts of the country to prevent terrorists from re-grouping and striking back.

“Planned with a clear end state and long-term objectives, the operation will accomplish (the task of) eliminating terrorists from these areas and from across the country,” a military spokesman said.

Meanwhile speaking at a meeting of the Senate’s foreign affairs committee, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Sartaj Aziz, said North Waziristan-based terrorists might have fled to other parts of the country after the start of the operation. But, he noted that the army was depriving them of the capacity to carry out terrorist attacks.

The military had previously said that 2,274 intelligence-led coordinated counter-terrorism operations had been carried out throughout the country to forestall any blowback of operation.

Over 40 terrorists have been killed and 114 arrested in the operations outside North Waziristan.

The army claims to have killed about 1,000 terrorists since the start of Zarb-i-Azb on June 15.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2014