Islamabad, Sept 22 : A day after Saturday’s massive bomb blast at Hotel Marriott, Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani has reportedly vowed to eliminate terrorism from his country by defeating the extremist forces.

Condemning the bomb attack, the General said the Army stood with the Pakistani nation in its resolve to fight terrorism.

In an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement, Kayani said: “The chief of army staff expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of all martyrs in this hour of grief and distress and the army stands with the nation in its resolve to defeat the forces of extremism and terrorism.”

Pakistan’s Army is in the midst of an offensive against Al Qaeda and Taliban in the Tribal Areas while the US forces in Afghanistan have intensified attacks on the Pakistani side of the border. The Taliban and Al Qaeda – many of whom poured into the Tribal Areas from across the border in Afghanistan when the US invaded after 9/11 – have launched bomb attacks, most on security forces, in retaliation, reported the Daily Times.

During September alone, suicide bombers have hit targets in various parts across northern Pakistan, such as Islamabad, Lahore, Mardan and Charsadda, it added.

An Al Qaeda video, released to mark the seventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US, included a call for militants in Pakistan to step up their fight. Analysts say the ability to carry out such a massive bombing at one of the most secure sites in the capital, not far from parliament and the Prime Minister’s House, is an “unmistakable sign of the militants’ reach”. (ANI)