Pakistan Army Chief Optimistic on Defeating Insurgents

April 23, 2011

Pakistan's chief of army staff General Ashfaq Kayani (file photo)

Speaking at this years graduation ceremony at the Pakistani Military Academy, General Ashfaq Kayani said he believed the insurgents and extremists in Pakistan, linked to the Taliban and al-Qaida, would soon be defeated.

"In the war against terrorism, our officers and soldiers have made great sacrifices and have achieved tremendous success... the terrorist backbone has been broken and inshallah [God willing] we will soon prevail," he said.

The Pakistani army chief’s words come amid continued difficulty between Pakistan’s leadership and the U.S. over how to proceed in the war effort.

In recent weeks rounds of shuttle diplomacy have done little to defuse the situation despite a number of trips by both sides to the other partner’s capitols.

Earlier this week the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, traveled to Islamabad to conduct high level meetings with Pakistani officials, including General Kayani.

While here he conducted an interview with a local television network in which he said the U.S. had intelligence that certain members of the Pakistani military, along with the country’s intelligence agency, the ISI, had ties to extremists groups such as the Haqqani Network- a group with strong ties to the Taliban and al-Qaida.