Gen. Kayani: Army ready to guard Pak

BY SHAFQAT ALI

Islamabad

Sept 12: Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said on Friday that the armed forces are ready to safeguard the territorial integrity of the country.

Chairing the Corps Commanders Conference here, Gen. Kayani said all elements of the national power under the new democratic leadership will safeguard the territorial integrity of Pakistan with full support and backing of the people of Pakistan.

"The participants were given a comprehensive briefing on the prevailing geo-strategic environment and the recent strategic engagements with major stakeholders regarding peace and security in the region and beyond," a military statement said after the conclusion of the 111th Corps Commanders Conference.

Gen. Kayani said that no external force is allowed to conduct operations against the terrorists and extremists inside Pakistan as the armed forces are capable to protect the geographical and ideological frontiers of the country.

The sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country will be defended at all costs, General Kayani said.

The Army Chief gathers his Corps Commanders and principle staff officers every month, and the two-day meeting in Rawalpindi took up the most important issue of security, sources said.

General Kayani said that the rules of engagement with the coalition forces are well defined and within that, the right to conduct operations against the militants inside the territory is solely the responsibility of the respective armed forces of both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The top brass of the Pakistan Army also discussed the matters related to professional responsibilities, training and requirements of the Army. They also discussed the situation, which emerged after the air and ground assaults of the ISAF forces on Pakistan, killing civilians in large number, including women and children.

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US missile attack kills 12 in Pakistan

BY OUR PAKISTAN CORRESPONDENT

Islamabad

Sept. 12: A US missile strike killed at least 12 people on Friday in north-western Pakistan, security officials said.

"It was a missile attack by a US aircraft in the North Waziristan region," a security official said.

The strike, near the town of Miranshah, is the first since a recent surge in tension between Pakistan and the United States over how to tackle the Taliban and Al Qaeda along the border with Afghanistan.

"Yes, missiles have been fired. We have reports that more than 12 people were killed," a security official said. Residents said two missiles were fired at a former government school where suspected militants and their families were living in Tool Kheil village. An intensifying insurgency in Afghanistan has compounded pressure on Pakistan to go after militants operating from remote enclaves.