The military had stepped up operations against the Taliban and other militants in the area following the Pakistani Taliban attacked a school in Peshawar last December that killed 150 people, mostly children. In Tweets on social media, Bajwa said the country's powerful army chief, Gen. Raheel Sharif, rushed to Peshawar to meet with the security forces taking part in the clearing operation. In a statement to the media, he claimed the Taliban fighters offered "safe passage" to women and children after attacking the base. Pakistan air force has been playing an important role in the fight against terrorism since June 2014, when the army launched the much-awaited operation in North Waziristan. The region was once considered to be the headquarters of the Pakistani Taliban who have been targeting security forces and public places in an effort to topple the elected government to enforce harsher version of Islam.