A statement issued by the inter-services public relations said a visit to Orakzai Agency today by army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani "marks the successful conclusion of operations" in the region.
Pakistan army today concluded its campaign against Taliban fighters in the restive Orakzai tribal region bordering Afghanistan where some 1,000 militants have been killed since the offensive was launched about two months ago.
A statement issued by the inter-services public relations said a visit to Orakzai Agency today by army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani "marks the successful conclusion of operations" in the region.
Kayani also visited the Kurram tribal region, which has been rocked by sectarian clashes between Shia and Sunni tribesmen over the past two years.
The fighting was exacerbated after Taliban fighters infiltrated the region and began backing the Sunnis.
Kayani was briefed about the security situation in the two tribal agencies by local military commanders.
He also interacted with troops and met tribal elders who he thanked for "their consistent and wholehearted support to the security forces".
The army chief reassured the tribal elders that the "return of normalcy and prosperity to the area will be ensured".
With the ending of operations in Orakzai Agency, the return of people displaced by the fighting is "excepted to start shortly", the statement said.
Kayani appreciated the "professional conduct of the operation which cleared (Orakzai) Agency of terrorists".
Observers believe that Pakistani troops will next move into North Waziristan Agency, considered a stronghold of Taliban and al-Qaeda elements as well as militant groups that are considered close to the military establishment.
The US has been pressuring Pakistan to begin operations in North Waziristan since the recent botched car bomb attack in New York by Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad.
Shahzad received bomb-making training in Waziristan and American officials have said that Pakistan needs to take action to prevent any further attacks on the US.
During the operations in Orakzai Agency, the security forces made extensive use of artillery and air power to target Taliban positions and hideouts.
Military officials have claimed that nearly 1,000 rebels have been killed in the region though the figure cannot be independently confirmed as journalists are barred from the conflict zone.
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