RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on Friday visited front line troops, deployed for operations along the Pak-Afghan border in Khyber Agency, and appreciated the effort of the armed forces in checking cross border movement.

The COAS expressed satisfaction at the clearance of mountain passes in the Rajgal area which were held by militants, said a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The army chief also praised Pakistan’s commitment to check cross border movement and said “it will go a long way in helping our initiative of border management”.

General Raheel also said enhanced vigilance and a pro-active approach should be adopted to check movement of terrorists, added the ISPR statement.

“The nation and valiant army has paid a huge price to fight terrorism. We will commit all efforts to clear all remote pockets and sleeper cells of terrorists till their total elimination from anywhere in the country,” said General Raheel.

On arrival on the front lines, the COAS was received by Corps Commander Peshawar Lt Gen Hidayat Ur Rehman.

The Pakistan Army conducted an operation along the Pak-Afghan border in Rajgal valley earlier this week, the military’s media wing said.

An Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said the operation was launched “to reinforce troop deployment in Rajgal valley to effectively check and guard against” movement across the porous border in Khyber Agency.