Kayani asks troops to ensure minimum collateral damage with precision strikes

September 30th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has said Islamabad would not allow US drones to carry out strikes in Balochistan. Kayani, who was attending the 28th Tripartite Commission, which consists of senior military representatives from Pakistan and Afghanistan, told the military leaders that Pakistan does not support the US view regarding the targeting of militants inside Pakistan's boundary.

September 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Kayani has said the military is close to winning the war against terrorism. Addressing troops during his visit to South Wazirisitan and Tank, General Kayani said the strategy adopted by the army during its all out operation against the extremists in the region together with the people's support has helped security forces dismantle the terror network.

September 6th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Kayani has said the Pakistan Air Force and the Army have achieved 'significant successes' against the Taliban and other extremist groups in their offensive in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Interacting with media persons during Pakistan Air Force (PAF) war exercises, 'Saffron Bandit 2009-10, General Kayani commended the PAF for its support to the ground troops during the military offensive in Swat and Malakand Divisions.

September 4th, 2009 RAWALPINDI - The Pakistan Army is determined chase the Taliban till the very end, and would continue its offensive against the extremists until they are rooted out from the country, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani has said. Speaking at a function after inaugurating a rehabilitation centre for young Taliban recruits, General Kayani said 'Operation Rah-e-Rast', being carried out in the Swat and the Malakand Divisions, has broken the back of extremists.

July 4th, 2009 RAWALPINDI - Pakistan Chief of Army Staff , General Ashfaq Kayani has said that the internal threat facing the country was more threatening than the external, and that it needed immediate attention. "While external threats continue to exist, it is the internal threat to Pakistan that needs immediate attention," The Daily Times quoted Kayani, as saying.

June 26th, 2009 RAWALPINDI - The Pakistan Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Kayani has said that the security forces would certainly be able to establish control over the region captured by the Taliban and other militants, as the army is "executing a campaign plan" to achieve its target without much collateral damage. Addressing security personnel in South Waziristan where the army has launched an extensive operation against the Tehreek-e-Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, General Kayani stressed that the insurgents would be eliminated, and the government's writ would be re-established in the region soon.

June 11th, 2009 KABUL - A Taliban commander and more than a dozen suspected insurgents were killed in air strikes by coalition forces in Afghanistan's northwest Ghor province, a military statement said Wednesday. Mullah Mustafa, the Taliban commander who was involved in activities against the government and US-led forces in the province and neighbouring areas, was killed in the attack, the statement said.

May 16th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The military operation is not enough to restore peace in Pakistan's troubled areas, but a political dimension is needed to attain a permanent solution, Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has said. "I am well aware that the army operation is not a permanent solution to our problems, and political dimensions need to be incorporated to reach a consensus for lasting peace in the troubled areas," The Daily Times quoted Gilani, as saying.

May 15th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Friday called for a political solution to restore peace in the country's restive northwest after the military concludes its operations to eliminate the Taliban in the area. 'The situation is not normal, militants have threatened the very fabric of our society, by trying to impose their will through coercive measures,' he said in his opening remarks ahead of an in-camera briefing by Pakistani Army chief Gen.

May 15th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Taliban fighters are shaving their beards to mingle with the civilians fleeing the security forces' operations in Swat in Pakistan's troubled northwest, the military said Friday, on a day when the country's army chief briefed parliament on the offensive. 'We request the civil population of Swat to come forward and help the security forces in identifying the Taliban terrorists.

May 15th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The security forces are ensuring that collateral damage is minimised in their operations against the Taliban in Pakistan's troubled northwest, army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani informed parliament Friday.

May 13th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani security forces achieved a major breakthrough Wednesday by capturing the stronghold of the Swat Taliban as militant casualties on the 18th day of a military operation in the country's restive northwest rose to 762 and the army chief asked his troops to minimise collateral damage during their advance. The security forces had established a firm foothold in Peochar, the headquarters of Swat Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah, and other areas of the district, the military said.

May 13th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's army chief Wednesday asked his troops to minimise collateral damage in their operations against the Taliban in the country's restive northwest and to resort to precision strikes. 'COAS (chief of army staff) has instructed the army to ensure minimum collateral damage even at the expense of taking risks, by resorting to precision strikes,' a statement issed by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

May 8th, 2009 RAWALPINDI - Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Ashfaq Kayani has said the Army would mobilise all available resources to launch a 'decisive operation' to crush and flush out the Taliban from North West Frontier Province (NWFP). "The Pakistan Army will employ requisite resources to ensure a decisive ascendancy over the Taliban," The Daily Times quoted General Kayani, as saying at the 118th corps commanders' conference held at the General Headquarters (GHQ).

April 24th, 2009 RAWALPINDI - Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, on Friday said the Army is determined to root out the menace of terrorism from the region. General Kayani further said the Army would fully support the civilian government in its fight against militancy.