By IRNA,
Islamabad : Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani has instructed the Army to ensure minimum collateral damage even at the expense of taking risks, by resorting to precision strikes against the militants.
“Pakistan Army is acutely aware of the nature of ongoing operations in Swat and elsewhere, and their likely fallouts,” General Kayani said in a statement.
The Pakistani security forces are engaged in major offensive in Swat, district Lower Dir and Buner in the northwest.
The army spokesman says that the forces have kills 750 militants over the past two weeks. Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan has disputed the figures of casualties of the militants.
The spokesamn said that 20 soldiers have also been killed and 30 injured in the fighting.
“Consequent to any military operation in populated areas, collateral damage and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) issues are always a natural outcome,” the army chief said.
He said the overall success of operations in such areas is a sum total of the three efforts — conduct of military operations, minimizing collateral damage and correctly managing IDPs.
The Army Chief said that management of IDPs is as important as military operation in Swat, adding it has been decided to provide all out support to Government and International Agencies in the management and rehabilitation of IDPs.