Pakistan's army chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has pledged to restore government control in the militancy-hit Swat Valley, said an army statement released Wednesday.
He made the remarks while addressing Pakistani soldiers during a tour to the restive Swat Valley, a former tourist resort in northwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border.
According to the statement, Gen Kayani "reiterated that the army had both the will and resolve to establish the writ of the government" in the Swat Valley, and "lauded the morale" of the soldiers deployed there after an Islamic insurgency began in 2007.
"No amount of sacrifice will deter us to do our duty," the statement quoted Gen Kayani as saying.
Hundreds of people have been killed in the frequent clashes between the government troops and Taliban militants in the Swat Valley after the army launched a massive offensive in August.
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