This Article is From Dec 25, 2014

Time for Bold Decisions to Eliminate Terrorism: Pakistan Army Chief

Time for Bold Decisions to Eliminate Terrorism: Pakistan Army Chief

File photo of Pakistan's army chief General Raheel Sharif.

Islamabad: Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif on Wednesday said that terrorism has caused a big damage to the country and time has come to take "bold decisions" to combat it.

"This is the time to take bold decisions and ensure their effective implementation," the Army Chief said, briefing a meeting of parliamentary leaders.

In the meeting, where Prime Minister Nawaz Sahrif was also present, General Sharif said that the army is committed to eliminate militancy from the country.

"We owe it to our next generations to eliminate this scourge once and for all," General Sharif was quoted as saying, by Military spokesman Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa on Twitter.

"Through unity we will emerge triumphant over the two-faced bane of terrorism and extremism," the Army Chief said.

He told the meeting that 2,100 terrorists were killed and 190 soldiers had died during Operation Zarb-i-Azb which is being carried out in the North Waziristan tribal region.

Earlier in the meeting, the government announced formation of a 5,000-strong counter-terrorism force to fight militants.

The army would prepare and train the force which will be deployed a thousand each in the federal capital and the four provinces -- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan.

The decision to set up the force was taken by the National Action Plan Committee which was set up in the aftermath of the deadly Peshawar school attack that killed 150 people, mostly children.

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