Pakistan army launches major operation to stop Daesh penetration

The military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor in media briefing said, 'We will not allow them to establish themselves. In Afghanistan, yes, it is getting stronger, but we don't believe it is the same as the Daesh in the Middle East.

'In Pakistan, the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has shown an alliance with Daesh .... Daesh as an organized terrorist group does not exist in Pakistan, but if splinter groups of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and other terror groups try to jump on the Daesh bandwagon, we are already taking care of them through other means, like in the 'Khyber-4' operation,' said Ghafoor also Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

He announced that the army has launched Operation Khyber-4 under Radd-ul-Fasaad (RuF) to wipe out terrorists in the Rajgal Valley area of Khyber tribal area.

There is no timeline for the operation as yet, Ghafoor added.

The army had informed Afghan forces ahead of the launch of the Khyber-4 operation in Rajgal, he said, so that the Afghan army would be able to support on their side of the border if they wished.

'No other force will have boots on the ground in our country. All operations are conducted by Pakistani security forces,' he asserted.

The army's spokesman observed that reports of a joint border operation with Afghan forces had surfaced during a visit made by a top-level United States Congressional delegation.

Clarifying the reports, Ghafoor said, 'The true meaning of this [joint operation] is when both forces conduct operations at the same time. There is a coordinated and complementary operation on their respective sides of the border.'

Information would be shared with Kabul if the Afghan leadership wished to conduct supporting operations and coordination in this regard is ongoing, he elaborated.

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