PESHAWAR: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Sunday attended the funeral prayers of 11 security personnel, including an officer, martyred in a suicide attack in Swat valley on Saturday.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Peshawar Corps commander and other senior civil/military officials were also present at the funeral prayers held in Peshawar. General Bajwa later visited the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in the provincial capital to meet the injured.
Suicide attacks return to Swat
A suicide bomber on Saturday targeted an army unit in Kabal tehsil of Swat that killed 11 security personnel and injured 13 others.
The attack took place in the sports area of the armed forces unit established in the Shreefabad area of Kabal tehsil. The injured were later shifted by rescue officials to a hospital in Saidu Sharif area of Swat, according to government sources.
Military operations in Swat valley
Since 2007, the armed forces have carried out different operations against militants (local and foreign) to drive them away from the scenic valley.
The military launched Operation Rah-e-Haq in Swat and Shangla district in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively. The valley was brought under state control after Operation Rah-e-Rast was launched in May 2009 in Mingora which saw some of the most aggressive fighting between the Pakistan Army and militants in a bid to gain control of the valley.